A wholly owned subsidiary of a large American automobile manufacturer from 1984 to 1994, outlines the successful and unique adaptation of a new approach to organizing in the U.S. automobile industry. The organization represents many of the characteristics typified by “Quality of Work Life” programs, and allows you to see the benefits of a cooperative and customer-focused HRM approach. Use the Library or other Web resources to research and answer the following questions:

• What aspects of quality of work life (QWL) programs does the experiment at this case study automobile plant illustrate?
• How can the case study automobile manufacturer ensure that employees have not only the willingness to take responsibility but also the ability to do so?
• In this case, a completely new company was started with considerable autonomy from the larger manufacturer. Why do you think so many large organizations turn to “Greenfield” operations such as this when undertaking major changes in corporate culture and operations? Do you foresee any problems down the road for the larger manufacturer in this regard?

Objectives

Analyze real-world issues, and develop proficiency in solving human resource problems through case studies and simulations.

2-3 pages cited and references