At Allied Signal, the introduction of teams and performance-based team pay was at the center of a change effort that had many other important elements. These included developing formal business plans focused on customers, creating new inventory monitoring and tracking systems, training in problem solving and teamwork skills, and adopting a philosophy of continuous improvement. To deal with the fact that account teams link together employees from more than 20 nations and payroll systems, new HR software systems were introduced. And finally, even the customers had to change. At first, some customers were reluctant to get involved with the new approach. They just wanted to order their parts and receive them on time. Gradually customers learned that they could benefit from being more involved. By defining their needs and expectations, they not only are more likely to have those needs and expectations satisfied, they also help ensure the long-term survival of a major supplier.