Team-based Redesign as a Large-scale Change Applying Theory to the Implementation of Integrated Product Teams

The implementation of integrated product and process development through integrated product teams represents a large-scale organizational change. This article draws from existing theory and research related to both large-scale change and team-based organization design to identify critical issues that must be explicitly managed to achieve the desired optimal outcomes of IPPD and IPTs. The language of " fundamental change " also reflects an appreciation of the challenge of effectively implementing the IPPD concept. This change requires attention to organizational level factors that include structure, culture, and decision processes; group level factors related to interpersonal dynamics, team building, and intergroup coordination; and individual factors of motivation, conflict management , and empowerment. A substantial body of management research has found that organizations often do not meet the anticipated benefits of teams because implementation did not T he words of Secretary of Defense William Perry (1995) were " I am directing a fundamental change, " as he endorsed the implementation of integrated product and process development (IPPD) through integrated product teams (IPTs). This executive mandate recognizes the potential value of cross-functional integration of complex processes to reduce cycle time, improve quality, and reduce costs in acquiring goods and services required by the Department of Defense (DoD). Achieving these performance outcomes is required by both budgetary constraints and citizen mandate.