Introduction:
RL Wolfe purchased Moon plastics, located in Corpus Christi in 2003. The manufacturing facility produces high-density polyethylene pipes. (David A. Garvin, 2009)
Background:
John Amasi, the director of production and engineering for RL Wolfe, implemented self-directed teams at the Corpus Christi plant after seeing reports of 30% to 40% improvement in productivity. (David A. Garvin, 2009)
Problems:
The Corpus Christi plant has run into a few problems. A few issues they are having are recognizing individuals, the shifting of boundaries between management and workforce decisions, and the old ways of the company is creeping back into the culture. (David A. Garvin, 2009)
Opportunities:
There’s plenty of opportunity for the Corpus Christi plant to solve the few problems it has with SDTs. Morale and productivity is higher there than the other two plants in Columbus, OH and Austin, TX. (David A. Garvin, 2009)
Recommendations:
There is a need for continued training. Employees will revert to a hierarchical structure within their teams unless they’re trained differently. (Tudor & Trumble, 1996) Training should be done over time rather than in one lump sum. (Wellins, 1992) The plant should implement performance based compensation for meeting company goals through teams. (Tudor & Trumble, 1996) The teams could earn bonuses for exceeding goals and divide it equally. (Wellins, 1992) Management should only define the essentials of the work processes and leave tasks, roles, methods, and policies broad and open-ended. (David A. Garvin, 2009)
Conclusions:
Self-directed teams work best when employees are thoroughly trained and management gives authority to the teams.

David A. Garvin, E. C. (2009). RL Wolfe: Implementing Self-Directed Teams. Boston : Harvard Business Publishing.
Tudor, T. R., & Trumble, R. R. (1996). WORK-TEAMS: WHY DO THEY OFTEN FAIL. S.A.M. Advanced Management Journal, 31.
Wellins, R. S. (1992). Building a Self Directed Work Team. Training and Development, 24-28.