Management dismissed the idea of self-governing territorial communities, considering it an encroachment on their privileges. From the height of my managerial experience and knowledge of the anatomy of industrial order, I consider the ideas of self-governance in territorial communities to be the most important and innovative.
A self-governing territorial community entails a managerial approach for each employee, work group, and team of employees. It also involves taking responsibility for their work and accomplishing key tasks, as well as managing social aspects affecting all community members, such as vacation schedules, overtime assignments, safety techniques, and employee rewards.
However, management rejected the ideas of self-governing territorial communities, viewing them as an encroachment on their privileges. Unions were also hostile: they believed a visible and tangible boss was necessary to fight against.
During World War II, much more progress was made in the realm of self-governance than what is touted today as a major breakthrough, such as the widely publicized attempt to replace the assembly line in some Swedish car companies. In reality, this line is far less advanced than the standard assembly lines in American industry, not to mention the responsibilities assumed by IBM worker teams—hardly a company that could be considered too liberal.
Delegate responsibility to employees as soon as you are sure they are ready to accept it.