Strategy Highlight 111 discusses the informal organizational

Strategy Highlight 11.1 discusses the informal organizational structure of W. L. Gore & Associates. Go to the firm’s website (www. gore. com ) and review the company’s product scope. a. What commonalities across the products would likely be enhanced by flexible cross-functional teams? b. What would be your expectations of the type of norms found at W. L. Gore?

Solution

Cross functional are the team that are specialised in a particular area such as marketiong, finance, operations, HR, etc. W.L Gore is the American manufacturing company that makes products derived from fluoropolymers.

a) Consumer products are suitable for cross functional team. The all other product category require particular expertise such as engineers for electronics, medical for medical products and pharmaceutical processing.

b) My expectation of this type of norm should not be very complex to implement. It should be short and simple to adopt such norms.