M: Business 3rd Edition by O. C. Ferrell, Geoffrey Hirt, Linda Ferrell

Exercise 2

Ford is going green with its formation of its all-women renewable materials research team—also known as Ford’s Green Team. Debbie Mielewski and her five female colleagues are all engineers looking to make Ford cars more eco-friendly. The idea for the team started when Mielewski was asked to reshape Ford’s plastics department. She brought her own green concerns to the job and began researching how to make Ford’s cars more sustainable. To date, Mielewski and her team have been awarded ten prize patents for innovations such as soy-filled seats and the blending of traditional plastics with wheat fibers. The group also focuses on reusing damaged materials, rather than throwing them away.

In an industry dominated by men—only one-fourth of auto employees and onetenth of auto executives are women— Ford’s green team feels that it has unique skills and insights to contribute. Many members of the team have children, and they bring a passion to protect the environment for future generations to their work. In addition, the six members find that they are able to collaborate well. They tend to divide into teams, rather than working solo, in order to have constant support and feedback. The team emphasizes communication and collective decision making, which they feel has been an important factor in their achievements.

The green team has already made an impact on the company. A recent press release states that in one year the company has kept almost 30 million pounds of plastic out of landfills and saved $4.5 million by utilizing recycled materials. Ford plans to replace fiberglass and plastics with sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives, which will lead to a smaller carbon footprint and a reduced use of petroleum. It looks like the Green Team has a winning strategy.

Why did Ford form an all-women renewable materials research team to make cars more eco-friendly?

Step 1 of 2

Company F’s all-women green team is a rarity which is formed with the aim to revolutionize the functionality of F vehicles. The basic purpose behind forming this special team was to reshape the plastic department of company F, making the cars more sustainable.