1. According to the information given, what basic inputs, work activities (processes), and outputs can you identify for work at W. L. Gore?
2. What are some strengths of designing work around teams, as Gore has done? What are some challenges for managing this structure?
3. If you worked in HR for W. L. Gore, what are some knowledge, skills, ability, or other characteristics (KSAOs) you would include in the company’s job descriptions?

When the husband-and-wife team of Bill and Vieve Gore founded W. L. Gore & Associates, their aim was not just to make and sell products from high-tech materials. Rather, they believed they could create a thriving, creative organization by giving smart people a chance to fully use their talents and ideas. They believed creativity could be stifled by rigid structure and hierarchy, so they built their company without managers, assigning teams of employees to work on opportunities.
Thus, at W. L. Gore, work flow is often about ideas as well as products. To produce good ideas, the company needs scientists and engineers with a profound understanding of their field of expertise, be it chemistry or the fabrication of a new prototype. At the same time, the company’s long-term success requires that it back only ideas that will meet real market needs, so expertise must extend to business knowledge coupled with a willingness to terminate projects that have little chance of success.