Shipper, F., & Manz, C., (1992, Winter). Organizational Dynamics, pp. 48-61.
Abstract
Management practices at W. L. Gore & Associates give a new dimension to employee empowerment. Gore's example illustrates an approach that promises many of the advantages and benefits of formally established empowered work teams, but without formally designated teams. The entire work operation becomes essentially one large empowered team in which everyone is individually self-managing and can interact directly with everyone else in the system. The primary features that characterize Gore can be summarized as a series of organizational themes, such as: 1. a culture and norms supporting employee empowerment and success, 2. a lattice organization structure, 3. many leaders, but no bosses or managers, 4. successful employees - called associates - who work without structure and management, and 5. unstructured research and development for increased creativity and innovation.