Grupos de Trabalho na Produção

GRUPOS DE TRABALHO NA PRODUÇÃO:
UMA ALTERNATIVA ORGANIZACIONAL PARA AUMENTO
DA COMPETITIVIDADE EMPRESARIAL

Eliane Shiobara
Departamento de Engenharia de Produção - Universidade de São Paulo e-mail: [e-mail]

Roberto Marx
Departamento de Engenharia de Produção - Universidade de São Paulo e-mail: [e-mail]

Abstract
Our organizations are facing accelerating demands. Pressures for better quality, more responsive service and cost reduction, the increasing innovation of technology and products, the higher clients expectations for better products and services, the competition and globalization are some of the factors that compose the “big picture” of the 90’s business environment. Changes happen faster than they used to be and impose new competitive criteria. Organizations are looking for alternatives to reduce costs, improve productivity and flexibility, with greater involvement and commitment of their employees.
Work teams are being adopted by a growing number of firms in USA, Europe and Brazil.
Researches (Marx, 1996) suggest that work teams are being considered as a oriented strategy to improve the organizational performance and competitivity. This paper tries to answer these questions: Why work teams? How can they improve the organization’s competitivity to face the globalization? It also presents and discusses the two most commonly adopted models - self directed work teams and “enriched groups”- their benefits and risks. Finally, it presents a case study of a industry that adopted work teams to improve its quality, productivity and flexibility.
Área: Estratégia e Organizações
Key words: work organizational change, work teams, strategy

1. Introdução
Com a crescente globalização do mercado e o conseqüente aumento da competitividade, as empresas estão buscando alternativas para redução de custos, aumento da produtividade, aumento da flexibilidade, com maior participação e comprometimento do seu quadro
funcional.