The Dean of dairy lets workers run the show

摘要

Dean Foods may not have been the first food company to usher work teams onto its plant floors. But the well-conceived plans of the Franklin Park, 111.-based dairy giant have taken root. And the results speak volumes. In September the program notched its 4,734th worker-generated idea in various stages of implementation, and is under way in 28 of 58 plants in the Dean Foods network. (Interestingly, "substantive team structures" are also in place at nine additional Dean plants that have not yet received team instruction.)