A Study of Implementation of Self-Managed Team (SMT) Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Industry

The objective of the paper is to provide an understanding on the effect of implementation of Self-Managed team as a necessary step towards improving the operational efficiency in pharmaceutical manufacturing Industry. Indian Pharma Industry is the second largest Industry in terms of export of generic pharmaceutical products. High quality products and on time delivery are the success criterions for this Industry, and hence, improving operational efficiency was a paramount importance of business sustenance. Manpower being a crucial variable in the production process, it was chosen as a primary focus area. Talent required for the industry needed to be well trained in all the manufacturing processes. Developing a Self-Managed Team, specifically trained in all aspects of pharmaceutical manufacturing was considered to be quintessential. A study was conducted to understand the principles of self-managed teams and its adoption to pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. It involved review of literature in the areas of self-managed teams, empowered working culture and organisational psychology. Based on this study a framework of Self-Managed Team was drafted and reviewed for implementation. A pilot implementation project enabled the management to understand the effectiveness of accomplishment of intended benefits in the areas of operational efficiency. With the initial success, the self-managed team philosophy was then broad based and implemented in all the areas of manufacturing operations successfully. This philosophy became a case study in the area of engaging empowered self-managed teams and hence was also adopted for implementation by other Indian pharmaceutical organisations.