Team-based organization: the fruits of employee empowerment

Tennalum, a division of Kaiser Aluminum, received the 1995 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing. The plant also received the 1995 Tennessee Quality Achievement Award, the criteria for which are based on the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. In 1994, Tennalum received the Clemson University's 21st Century Organizational Excellence Award, 33 Metal Producing Magazine's T.O.P. Award, and the Tennessee Quality Interest Award, and it was a finalist in Industry Week magazine's Top 10 Plants in America. Tennalum also earned ISO-9002 certification during that year. This article explains how Tennalum's people work together as self-directed work teams in an atmosphere of empowerment, involvement, and continuous improvement that translates into outstanding performance results.