Response to Vince Crary's Fast Company Article: Engines of Democracy

Vince, I enjoyed reading your article about "Engines of Democracy." I find it interesting how the work teams function at the GE Durham plant. It always amazes me what does and doesn't work in an organization or company. Often failure of a team is attributed to the management or a person on the team that is causing challenges. Very rarely do you hear about the success of a team, it is just something that is rarely talked about. And even more rare is the contributing factor for that success.

I liked your comparison of the GE assembly group teams to the cohort group. I would have to agree with you that our group has been successful. The ability to bring all of our different interests and backgrounds together around the same table is an accomplishment in itself. We do recognize the success and accomplishments of others and we respect what others bring to the table, which helps all of us grow and learn.

You point out the uniqueness of the GE plant and how it is not a traditional American approach. Our cohort is also a non-traditional learning experience by educational standards, which are changing very quickly. As you listen to the news about the changing world, there is more and more said about new approaches to technology, science and other fields of study where we are used to tradition. Different methods and learning styles are quickly being adapted around the world as they are being tested and tried. Tradition is hard to find in many places, and as technology changes and moves into more areas of our life, we may see even less tradition in our lives.

I really like this idea of teamwork and the approach that the team is responsible for decisions. Allowing the productivity, progress and efficiency to be determined by the team gives the entire team a sense of ownership.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2000