Teams and entrepreneurship at all levels of the company are fundamental to the company's efforts to distinguish itself by learning faster than its competitors. This strategy has been enabled by a flattened organizational structure, a strong commitment to soliciting and acting on employee suggestions, and a major emphasis on training. Over the past four years, employees have participated, on average, in more than 62 hours of training annually, better than the ST benchmark of 40 to 45 hours for companies of similar size. In 1998, ST initiated a gung ho program to promote teaming and employee empowerment, resulting in the redesign of manufacturing work systems and jobs all with the aim of encouraging and enabling employees to take control of their work. Backed up by extensive training in teaming and problem-solving methods for manufacturing workers and supervisor as coach training for managers, the program was implemented rapidly and the transformation is nearly complete at all manufacturing sites.
Teams determine workflow, assignments, and break and vacation schedules.
They also set up and monitor their training and development plans, and they conduct peer reviews that are factored into formal performance reviews and merit increases. Compensation systems are designed to reward cross training and achievement of skill development objectives, while a variable incentive plan provides monthly bonuses to teams and individuals who meet production goals. Environmental Pledge ST is tightly aligned with its parent corporation's quest to become the world leader in environmental compliance. The company's Ten Environmental Commandments commit ST to meeting or exceeding the most rigid requirements set in any of the locations where ST or its parent corporation operate. For example, ST's US manufacturing sites meet noise-level requirements set by France and Italy among the most stringent in the world.