Developing Global Teams to Meet 21st Century Challenges at W.L. Gore and Associates

Developing Global Teams to Meet 21st Century Challenges at W.L. Gore and Associates

Gore exists today as a large global manufacturer of synthetic polymers for clothing, medical, and outdoor applications. Founded in 1958, the company has seen very steady success in its distribution as well as development of new technologies and effective organisational structure. Currently, the company employs over 10000 and sees a $3 billion a year revenue. This case focuses on the development of its product line as well as its unique HR management structure. This brief overview covers the structure as well as the potential for problems with respect to the flow of information and control.

The key issues that are primarily focused upon within the case are hierarchical structure as well as flow of information. Within Gore, the lattice structure employed by the company still follows that of a small business, such as the decentralization of decision making, as well as giving all employees (associates) a form of power and responsibility. This has the potential for instability on a larger scale, as a chain of command helps with overall stability, especially when considering project management aspects and dedicated development teams. This ties into the second potential problem for Gore, that being the flow of information within the company. The lack of an intermediary or assigned authority to convey information could lead to problems between team members who follow different commitments to a project.

The core theory that assists in understanding Gore is that of matrix style organisational structures as well as Horizontal Structure. These are important as they offer insight into the dual nature of the structure that is used to coordinate projects. As well as this, the theory discusses weaknesses that can occur such as the common grounds of: a limit to in-depth skill development, significant training of employees to work effectively, managerial issues with loss of boss power, changes...