Case Three: The Importance of Team Activities—Mixed Signals

Mustafa’s organization has enthusiastically joined the quality-management movement. A variety of consultants, along with training and development programs, have stressed the importance of team efforts. New mission statements and corporate brochures and posters all dramatize this new team initiative.

But as a new supervisor, Mustafa faces a curious paradox. The broad corporate human resource department supports the team concept; your boss even sent you a memo instructing you to put a team in place within thirty days. However, the organization’s human resource management system still clearly rewards the technical achievements of individual contributors.