CASE STUDY -- LEAN 94-02: A Case Study of Self-Directed Work Teams at Boeing Defense and Space Group - Corinth

Abstract

Boeing Defense & Space Group - Corinth (BD&SG-C) is a self-directed team based unionized facility in the defense and commercial aircraft industry. The plant was a greenfield start-up in 1987. Due to the nature of the defense business environment, the facility has weathered a changing product mix and surges and plateaus in its employment. The case illustrates the applicability of self-directed work systems in the defense aircraft industry and will identify lessons learned in the start-up and maintenance of such systems, including how experience in developing a labor-management partnership can be carried over to developing a partnership between DoD contractors and their defense contract administrators.