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FDA Experience with Self-Directed Work Teams

"Teams are not an end-all and cure-all for an organization's problems, but we've been excited and pleased with them so far."

Bill Ment of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Baltimore District Office made this observation as he described the self-directed work team that he coaches. The District is using a variety of types of teams, such as parallel teams and project teams, to develop work plans, tackle training needs, and conduct investigations. In addition, a self-directed team in the microbiology laboratory has emerged due to the dedication of the employees who work there and a management philosophy that supports increasing employee involvement and responsibility.

• Team Portraits
• Team Leader
• Consensus Decision Making
• Training
• Performance Appraisal and Awards
• For More Information

Team Portraits. The 6-member team of biologists and microbiologists is responsible for the District's microbiology lab, which tests food and drug samples for pathogens. New instrumentation has assisted the team in cutting the testing time in half, but tight time frames and a heavy workload keep the team extremely busy. Team members also participate in port inspections to focus on quality control and monitor regulated products.

Team Leader. The team leader role for the lab rotates every 3 months among team members. (Originally, the role was rotated every 30 days, but the team lengthened that time to improve continuity.) The leader's main function is to serve as the communications focal point of the team. Internal and external customers contact the team leader about lab business and the leader coordinates meetings and work processes. "Minor problems in performance are informally addressed by the team as a whole," explains Bill, "but as lab director I handle all personnel problems, such as poor performance issues, EEO complaints, and grievances. The team leader is not expected to handle these situations."

Consensus Decision Making. District management philosophy places decision-making responsibility with the operating people because the process has proven to be highly effective. The lab team takes full advantage of this philosophy by using a consensus process. The pros and cons of issues are discussed and every team member provides input to the discussion. Finally, a proposal is made and team members state whether they can live with the proposal or not. "The process takes time," says Bill, "but once a decision is made through consensus, everyone is committed and things run smoothly."

Training. "Training is also an integral part of the team process," explained Bill. "At first, the team received 4 hours of training on interpersonal relations and team building every other week. They still get training, but now it's required only once a month."

Performance Appraisal and Awards. Performance appraisal is still done by the lab director. At the end of the last appraisal period, team members submitted self-evaluations to Bill who assigned the final summary level. The team members' critical elements address quality of work, productivity and timeliness, special assignments, and teamwork. The teamwork element measures interpersonal behaviors and the employee's contribution to the team. The District has a nonmonetary award called Teamwork of the Month. The microbiology team won this award several months ago.

"Working in self-directed teams creates commitment, benefiting both the team and the organization," Bill observes. "Members have told me that they're not only growing professionally, but they're also growing personally."

For More Information. For more information about the self-directed work team in the microbiology laboratory in the Baltimore District, you may contact Bill Ment at 410-962-3790.

Originally published on February 1996.