Abstract

Since the early 1990’s, manufacturing companies have set up semi-autonomous work teams that collectively control several aspects of production. In 1998, to measure the effect of this new form of organization on worker health and safety, researchers surveyed the documentation on the subject and drew up an inventory of Québec experiences. They then observed that companies that adopted this form of organization achieved appreciable gains in productivity, while workers gained in autonomy and versatility and developed a sense of accomplishment. However, they also noted an increase in the task and stress. Concerning occupational health and safety, the studies were however not very conclusive.
This update covers the 1996 – 2002 period. It appears that in occupational health and safety, the previous observation remains. However, the variables likely to provide explanations are beginning to be studied and a model containing them is now proposed. The authors also note that semi-autonomous teams continue to be an important phenomenon in North American companies. In general, the teams have probably increased, mainly in the services sector, even if the extent of this increase is difficult to measure.