ABSTRACT
This case study is a product of an EPSRC-funded research grant into teamworking in manufacturing, and reports early empirical data from a large motor car assembly plant in the North Midlands. 1 , 2 Its particular focus is a consideration of the implications of changes in organizational structure and manufacturing process for first-line supervision. The company has undergone wide-reaching changes since 1991, and is commencing what many in the company recognize as yet another period of major turbulence, with new technologies, new manufacturing processes and uncertainty over the future permeating through the shop floor and beyond. This research focuses on team leaders as a key group of individuals who have the major task of operating as ‘walking archives’ (Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995:152) in the day-to-day running of the business.
