Editing Sociotechnical system (section)

===Autonomous work teams===

Autonomous work teams also called self-managed teams, are an alternative to traditional assembly line methods. Rather than having a large number of employees each do a small operation to assemble a product, the employees are organized into small teams, each of which is responsible for assembling an entire product. These teams are self-managed, and are independent of one another.<ref>Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1980). Work redesign. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.{{page needed|date=October 2020}}</ref>

In the mid-1970s, [[Pehr G. Gyllenhammar|Pehr Gyllenhammar]] created his new “dock assembly” work system at [[Volvo]]’s [[Volvo Kalmar Assembly|Kalmar Plant]]. Instead of the traditional flow line system of car production, self-managed teams would assemble the entire car. The idea of worker directors – a director on the company board who is a representative of the workforce – was established through this project and the Swedish government required them in state enterprises.<ref name=Mumford2000/>