At Holden Outerwear, it’s all about teamwork. Founder Mikey LeBlanc believes that teamwork is critical to the company’s position as an innovation leader. Holden’s use of teams is something that emerged out of necessity. For much of the company’s brief history, managers worked independently on design projects. But as the company grew, LeBlanc needed more designers, and he began looking to outside freelancers for help. Nikki Brush, a design and development manager at Holden, remembers when she was first brought on as a freelancer. Today she is a full-time manager at the company. The switch from freelancer to in-house manager has been positive for Nikki, although her role on the team has changed. 

Discussion Questions:

1. What type of team did Nikki Brush participate in when she was a freelancer? What type of team does she participate in as a full-time employee at Holden?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using teams at Holden? What can managers do to help avoid the disadvantages?

3. What steps do the leaders of Holden take to ensure that their workgroups have high levels of cohesion?