Team-based Production

Team-based production is a model of labor relations and production imported from Japan and applied to various American manufacturing businesses, notably with interest from the automobile industry. This approach promises to improve productivity and quality and to reduce the involvement of unions on the shop floor. The concept is seen clearly in the Japanese-owned automobile plants in the United States, and some version of the team concept is now in use in at least half of General Motors' assembly plants, six Chrysler plants, and two Ford plants. Each of the Big Three automobile manufacturers is also involved in a joint venture with or part ownership of a Japanese auto company which uses the team concept in its most advanced form (Slaughter, 1990: p. 9).

The team concept involves certain patterns of communication that differ from the standard American communication style, and this element along with others is what both promises great change for industry and is criticized by traditional labor unions as shifting the balance in industry too heavily toward management and away from labor. Hoerr (1989) notes the dichotomy in the team concept: "At one and the same time, it promises workers autonomy over their jobs but also threatens their old ways of working. It gives managers a powerful tool to improve productivity and quality but could undermine their control" (p. 56). The understanding and use of the patterns of communication involved could determine how well the team conce

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g its members. If trust and respect are high in the organization, it will be easier to transmit controversial messages than if trust and respect are low (pp. 391-392). Certainly, the communication climate is different in a company utilizing the team concept than it is in the traditional organizational structure. Under the team concept, the communication environment is intended to foster the idea that trust and respect are promoted and that communication among members of the team should be free and open. After all, the team holds meetings and decides issues among the members, including the issue of who will lead the team. This is one of the reasons for resistance on the part of managers to the team concept--they do not want to share power with employees as is required under this system. Low-level supervisors find that their interests are often ignored under this system, so they oppose it (Hoerr: p. 57). The requirement for a new communication pattern is inherent in the adoption of the team concept in an organization. Hoerr (1990) explains: "It is a powerful combination: workers who equip themselves to be competitive and employers who provide them with challenging jobs. But meshing these elements in a workable system is no

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