 View the latest management news
[February 2007]
In each issue of the newsletter we will review recent articles in the area of management that we feel may be of interest to IMechE members.
We are always looking for interesting contributions, so if you come across an interesting article, why not write a short review and bring it to the attention of colleagues throughout the Institution. All contributions should be sent to management@imeche.org
Interorganizational Teams as Boundary Spanners Between Supplier and Customer Companies - Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2006, Volume 34 No 4, p588-599
From a study of 225 teams in a range of industries, this research has explored the characteristics of interorganizational teams. The particular context is in the area of business-to-business which is a fact of every day life for many engineers.
The work suggests that the team effectiveness is determined by the degree of interorganizationality, in particular the team composition and the power distribution. For the highest level of interorganizationality, the number of members from each business in the team should be equal as should the power distribution. The lowest level occurs when the members and power rest with one player alone.
As products and services become more technically complex, the need for effective interorganizational teams is paramount. The research suggests that when the team effectiveness is high complexity and uncertainty are handled much better. Factors that were found to contribute to high team effectiveness were the cohesiveness and longevity of the team, along with the expertise of the team members.
Gallois readies his medicine - Flight International, 17 - 23 October 2006, Vol 170 No 5058, p20-21
Airbus. Loved by everyone, except Boeing. Everything is next to perfect, glorious aircrafts about to be born, business is booming. Until one "little" project delay flips everything upside-down. A380 is delayed for 2 years, pushing the company to its knees. Heads are falling, a massive management overhaul takes place, but nothing seems to work until Louis Gallois is appointed as the new chief executive. But is he the one who can take Airbus back to its glory? Can he deal with a complex organisational and political structure the company is covered in?
Smash the Clock - Business Week Online, December 11 2006
Do you still think that physical presence in the office from 9 till 5 is directly related to, and equates to, productivity? Think again. Best Buy Co. (BBY) recently went from a "traditional" organisational environment to ROWE - Results Only Work Environment. The results: productivity is up 30%, employee satisfaction is way up, costs went down and so did the stress level of employees. These days in Best Buy Co. it is not unusual to come to work at 2 pm or leave at 3pm, nor is it unusual to take a conference call whilst playing golf. At Best Buy work is no longer a place where you go, but something you do. The goal is to judge performance on output instead of hours. Is Best Buy the only company doing this? They are not alone.
This article is available to read online.
Back to top
|