Self-managed team implementation : deploying team based work design concepts in a unionized organization

The twentieth century shift from the industrial society to the knowledge society must be met by a transition in management of human capital. This thesis seeks to design an implementation method based on goal-setting theory and other team based work designs that can be deployed by anyone in the company. The model accounts for the two largest barriers to successful implementation, management and labor unions. The new model is strengthened by a bottoms-up approach, on-the-job development of teaming skills, and inclusion of the labor union at the earliest stage possible.