Abstract

Beginning in 1986, multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) have been utilized in IIAPCO/Maxus Southeast Sumatra in the area of field development and exploitation. Four different organizational structures were used to develop the team concept over the decade. Each MDT "type" differed somewhat in management reporting relationship, leadership, duration and scope. The evolution of these teams moved from a single short-term project team to the current four "district" Asset Management Teams. The latter teams operate similar to small district offices, and were organized based on specific environmental changes and experience from previous team structures. The efforts of these teams have resulted in a dramatic increase in production and reserves in older fields, and very attractive economic returns on investments for the concession owners and Indonesia.

Several key factors affect all MDT types, both positively and negatively. The role of management support, clear objectives, and utilization of key technologies are some of the positive influences that enable the teams to produce results. Common threats to the team concept mainly fall in the areas of "control", "credit" and "compensation". The ability of local management to deal with these factors relates directly to the positive impact the teams can have on the "bottom line".

The overall success of these teams validates the concept of MDT's and requires any open-minded manager to examine MDTs. Ten years of experience reveals that the MDT structure needs to be tailored to the project, the organization and the local culture. Adaptability of the team structure to changes in business climate is essential to successful Multi-disciplinary Teams.