In private organizations, I have seen a number of working examples. One of them has become a very popular case study, W. L. Gore & Associates. You can find it in strategic management, organizational theory, and strategic marketing books. Also, it is in the McGraw-Hill Primis custom publication data bank (Call 800-331-2315 for a review copy). You can find an interpretative article on it entitled, "Employee Self-management without Formally Designated Teams: An Alternative Road to Empowerment."
by Shipper, F., & Manz, C., in 1992 (Winter), Organizational Dynamics, pp. 48-61. You can find a wider set of examples in Business Without Bosses by Charles Manz and Henry P. Sims, Jr., New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1993.
For public organizations, you can find two examples regarding how significant changes can be made in the following articles:
Rosti, Jr., R. T., & Shipper, F. (1998). "A Study of the Impact of Training in a Management Development Program Based on 360 Feedback." Journal of Managerial Psychology, Volume 13, Number 1, pp. 77-89.
Shipper, F., and Neck, C.P. (1990). "Subordinates' Observations: Feedback for Management Development." Human Resource Development Quarterly, Volume 1, Number 4, pp. 371-384.
The key to success in any organization is the leader/manager of the unit that embarks on a path to employee empowerment. If that person does not have the necessary skills and does not establish the appropriate culture, the effort will be doomed to failure.
If you cannot find the articles or the case and would like me to send you a copies, please send me an e-mail off-line with your postal address and I will be happy to do so. You may also want to take a look at my home page listed below for other cases, articles, and exercises.
Frank Shipper, Ph.D.
Professor of Management
Perdue School of Business
Salisbury State University
Salisbury, MD 21801
Phone: (410) 543-6333
FAX: (410) 546-6208
E-mail:
fmshipper@ssu.edu
Home Page: http://perdue.ssu.edu/~fmshippe/home/welcome.htm