Small Group Research

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Free Access - Register Here

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chansler, P. A.
Right arrow Articles by Cammann, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Small Group Research, Vol. 34, No. 1, 101-120 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/1046496402239579

Self-Managing Work Teams

An Empirical Study of Group Cohesiveness in "Natural Work Groups" at a Harley-Davidson Motor Company Plant

Phillip A. Chansler

Paul M. Swamidass

Auburn University

Cortlandt Cammann

Cammann and Associates

There is evidence in literature that supports a link between group cohesion and performance. After the well-known turnaround in the 1980s, Harley-Davidson has become a very successful company; a command-and-control culture was replaced by a new culture of assembly employees making important decisions in work teams. This study examined the determinants of group cohesion in self-managing work teams (SMWT) called "natural work groups " (NWG) at the Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s Kansas City, MO (HDKC), assembly plant. At this plant, NWGs are empowered to successfully run the business of assembling motorcycles. A 156-item survey was completed by 233 employees (67% response rate) at the plant. A regression model, which includes the two statistically significant independent variables, (a) employee control over team staffing and (b) perceived fairness, explains nearly 42% of the variance in group cohesion.

Key Words: self-managing work teams • small-group cohesiveness • Harley-Davidson Motor Company • natural work groups


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Small Group ResearchHome page
D. C. Strubler and K. M. York
An Exploratory Study of the Team Characteristics Model Using Organizational Teams
Small Group Research, December 1, 2007; 38(6): 670 - 695.
[Abstract] [PDF]