A design and philosophy for empowerment.

Novess, E.

Abstract
The management organization at the Miller Brewing Company's brewery in Trenton, Ohio, USA is described. In each area of operation (brewing, packaging, distribution, and supporting services such as equipment maintenance) the workforce is divided into largely autonomous teams. Team members are jointly responsible for achieving the optimum balance of efficiency, productivity, quality and safety within their team's area of operation, and are empowered to make most necessary decisions within their sphere of competence without reference to anyone outwith the team. To increase flexibility, each team member is trained in all the skills required to carry out any of the team's functions. The personnel management/industrial relations system, containing a number of unusual features designed to avoid many of the common causes of problems in this field, is also described.
Keywords : brewery education management personnel production