Unions may become concerned about job redesign/’re-engineering’ initiatives. What motivated the union to cooperate with the Quaker Oats redesign idea in the mid-1990s?

Analysis Questions: Quaker Oats Case

1. Unions may become concerned about job redesign/’re-engineering’ initiatives. What motivated the union to cooperate with the Quaker Oats redesign idea in the mid-1990s?

2. How was supervision different under the redesign from what it had been earlier?

3. What were the ‘triads’ and how did they support the self-managed teams?

4. How were employees compensated under the new team structure?

5. The new Quaker plant design included support for ‘skill-up’ initiatives. How did this work?

6. How was the LMLT structured?

7. What role did training & development play in the plant redesign?

8. What were the most important outcomes of the redesign?