“Come and get taken seriously”

Explores the rationale and process undertaken to establish self‐managed work teams at a new Walkers Smiths factory in Coventry. Covers the background to the venture; objectives for establishing self‐managed work teams; the actions undertaken to set up the factory; and the transferable learning for other companies planning a similar approach. Concludes that all organizational development should be focussed against designed team behaviors and performance requirements and instead should be specific in its aims.