Fast Company article # 12 "Engines of Democracy" By Charles Fishman October 1999 issue, page 174 Prepared by Vince Crary

This article is about the General Electric aircraft-engine assembly plant in Durham, North Carolina. The GE90 jet engine is the main engine assembled here; the CF6 engine is also assembled at the plant.

"The jet engines are produced by nine teams of people - teams that are given just one basic directive: the day that their next engine must be loaded onto a truck. All other decisions - who does what work; how to balance training, vacations, overtime against work flow; how to make the manufacturing process more efficient; how to handle teammates who slack off - all of that stays within the team."

One of the jet engines weighs 8.5 tons and has 10,000 parts. Even a nut that weighs less than one ounce has to be tightened to a certain spec. The work is very demanding and the people making up the assembly teams know they are responsible for the lives of the people who travel in the jets should an engine be defective. Air Force One has the GE90 engines.

As demanding as the work is, the teams manage themselves. There are no performance incentives; the satisfaction of a job well done keeps the teams striving for perfection.

The approach at the GE assembly plant in Durham made me think of our cohort group. We all have our jobs; we all need to do the class work. However, there has been a lot of interaction between cohort members, and we are all interested in helping each other. Ideas are exchanged; we all learn through the interaction of the group. I also feel we are all respected for who we are, and when someone expresses an idea or questions an opinion, it is done in an atmosphere of respect and learning. Like the work at the GE plant, the cohort group has proven to be a success.

"GE/Durham isn't so much a team environment as it is a tribal community. There are rules, rituals, and folklore; there is tribal loyalty and tribal accountability. There is a connection to wider world, beyond the tribe."

I feel our cohort is similar. We all bring different perceptions; people bring their perceptions and learning to the group, and the resulting interaction helps us all learn and grow.

The GE/Durham plant is unique and, by present-day thinking in the business world, not a traditional American approach. Maybe the traditional American approach needs to be reviewed. The cohort group does not fit the traditional education mode, but it has been an effective teaching approach. A tribe is always more powerful than an individual.

In visiting with my wife about this article, she related it to her work as a Hospice R.N. The Hospice group works as a team. All members work to keep each other informed. Hospice work can be stressful; the team works hard to provide each other with support, ideas are exchanged, and a team approach is emphasized.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2000