Ricardo Semler Semco the Self-Managed Entreprise

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY The Good: SEMCO International Management – MSc Organization A.Y. 2009 – 2010 Ettore Penazzato TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. SEMCO in brief 3 2. Reorganization of the company: context, actions impacts 4 2.1 Changing the organizational structure 5 2.2 Profit-sharing program 7 2.3 Participatory decision-making 7 3. Evaluation based on the course material 7 3.1 HRM Practices 7 3.2 Empowerment of the employees 8 3.3 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation solved by profit-sharing program 8 3.4 Self-determined Salaries: Equity theory 10 4. Considerations based on 7 S model 12 5. Conclusions Recommendations 13 6. Bibliography 14 7. Appendix 15†¦show more content†¦These people have a fundamental role inside the organization, as they allow this structure to work even with the reduction of management levels (Semler, 1989). This change neutralized the problem of hierarchy. [pic] Figure 1. SEMCO’s organization structure Semler also put a ceiling on the maximum level of capacity for each plant, to 150 employees, in order to make the production units more efficient. Despite increased overhead costs it led to a higher degree of collaboration between smaller groups of employees inside each individual part of the facility (Semler, 1989). Thus, the obstacle of size was removed. As a result, the new structure improved the ability of the organization in terms of resource and time efficiency, in fact since its implementation inventory turnover fell greatly (Semler, 1989). Surely the responsiveness and the adaptability have also improved, which represents an important advantage for a company that works in such a fast changing technological environment. In fact, this structure is particularly suitable with a strategy focused on rapid innovation and that has to face a volatile environment (Semler, 1989). SEMCO also developed an innovation structure which was initially a solution based on a cost cutting strategy, but consequently it was implemented at a company level. In the mid 80’s three SEMCO Engineers propositioned a new work unit. These three engineers planned to venture out on their own, as a type of Corporate

Hegels Contradiction in Human History Essay - 1243 Words

Human beings have been struggling to learn the meaning of life since the first day. Ideologies are born as human’s interpretation of the world and belief system, also an endeavor to seek the truth of human nature. Ideologies emerge throughout the periods of great changes: the Enlightenment, the English â€Å"Glorious† Revolution, the American Revolution, etc. They have become the motivations, the standards, and the roots to modern political systems. Their roots are the philosophies developed by famous philosophers throughout the time. However, as each ideology is developed, its own contradiction also grows, takes place in the realm of actions. This, in turn, shows contradiction as human nature. Everything changes over time, and there is no†¦show more content†¦Not only that, but this also reflects though historical events. The historical events that reflect contradiction as human nature spread through times and happened all over the world. Considering the Engli sh â€Å"Glorious† Revolution happening during 1688 – 1689, the contradiction of the revolutionary leaders’ motivation and actions is obvious. Tracing to the causes of the revolution, they are based on the ascent of English Parliament toward a more liberal way, limiting the King’s power, giving the Parliament the power to be more involved in governing decisions. Beside that, the fear of â€Å"popery† took place as a very important cause of the revolution. The Parliament, playing the key role in this game, at the same time brought about a radical change in government system and tried their best to conserve the religious culture of Britain, which is to protect the Anglican Church. Thus, the contradiction of the revolution has become the topic for discussions between modern thinkers and philosophers. As John Carswell, author of The Descent on England, states in his book: â€Å"But it would be far from logical to suppose that because the causes of 168 8 were diplomatic, military, and political, or because they brought about no manifest change of social structure, that the consequences of 1688 were not far-reaching. On the contrary, William’s victory was of the utmost importance not only to Britain but to Europe and to the world.†Show MoreRelatedHegel and The Phenomenology of Spirit824 Words   |  3 Pagesnature and mind or for him, subject and object, were all related. This included history, philosophy, society, art, music, and culture. It was the idea that while all things were interrelated, they were also set up to form a series of contradictions that caused conflict for humans. Hegels manner of dissecting these issues was using logic a dialog between idealism, history, and the self in which the very process of history plays the dominant role in the development of humanity (Besier). 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Conflicts in the work of teams are inevitable since Free Essays

Conflicts in the work of teams are inevitable since team members will undoubtedly find themselves in contradiction over the nature of work and ways it can be done in the best possible way. In teams involving members with culturally diverse backgrounds, the challenge of conflict management will be even greater. These people will rely on â€Å"different conflict norms, different conflict styles, and different conflict rhythms† (Ting-Toomey, 1999). We will write a custom essay sample on Conflicts in the work of teams are inevitable since or any similar topic only for you Order Now Therefore, the training program for cross-cultural supervisors has to involve issues related to cross-cultural management and its relationship to conflicts. The consideration of the following two cases can be a useful guide to managing cross-cultural conflict in organizational teamwork. Situation 1 This situation arose in a team that included a Chinese, three Americans, and an Indian employee. The five worked pretty comfortably together until a certain point. However, it was soon found out that one of the Americans regularly involved in preparing reports for the Chinese man was not happy with his obligations. It turned out that the Chinese man expected him to do more than was accepted in other departments in preparation of similar reports. The Chinese naturally relied on the American to do it because they were friends. However, Jon (the American employee) was soon tired of doing extra work for someone without getting recognition for the project. At first he tried to be nice, but soon rebelled, which resulted in a nasty scene between the two. In this case, the conflict was the result of both cultural and personal differences. Both were unprepared to handle similar situations and perhaps uncertain of their exact responsibilities in the project. The Chinese employee, coming from a highly collectivist culture, expected friends to help even if it meant serious effort investment on his side. The American, on his part, was bound by the cultural notion that one has to be nice and helpful in professional surroundings. The typical response of an open US business culture would be to vent unwillingness right away. Jon, because of his personal character, did not share his feelings only to rebel later on. In this case, the team leader solved the problem in a ‘global’ way. He realized that part of the problem was the loose definition of boundaries between employees’ respective responsibilities, which caused confusion. So, all five team members took time to sort out their duties in an effective way. The team leader also proposed a strategy for handling conflict, suggesting that issues be brought up immediately and discussed in the open. To stress this effort, he proposed to organize a team get-together every Friday night where he encouraged employees to confront each other with problematic issues in a friendly atmosphere. This communication strategy seems effective as long as employees are enthusiastic about the initiative. Situation 2 The second situation involved a Native American employee in a team supervised by a Western European manager. The problems started right from the time when the team was put together. The Native American employee, aged 32, came from an impoverished reservation background, and learned his computing skills after moving to the city at the age of 23. Being naturally smart, he soon became an expert in his field. However, he had a distinct problem with time management: never submitted reports on time, tended to complete assignments in a haphazard manner, and in general worked in the â€Å"fits and starts† mode. This served him well in an IT company where he was previously employed. However, the new project manager of mixed Dutch-German origin was not at all pleased with the new employee. The source of the conflict was a distinctly different understanding of time by European and Native American culture (LeBaron, 2003). Time was less important in the understanding of the Native American employee. It was a continuum involving past and present and stretching into the future, rather than the dominant present with its strict deadlines and pressures. Another contributing factor was the European manager’s lack of intercultural experience. He had hardly ever worked abroad before the assignment and certainly never dealt with indigenous cultures. Added to the ethnic culture clash was the conflict of cultures supported by different industries. IT companies are known for their relaxed employee attitudes, while manufacturing to which the IT specialist transferred is less relaxed. How to cite Conflicts in the work of teams are inevitable since, Papers