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The rise of autonomous operator maintenance and work redesign
My blog entry on the “White Glove Story” got close to the idea of operator maintenance. My study on the coal gasification generating plant was about the ultimate vision of the one employee who has the skills and ability to do whatever is necessary to keep the process operating effectively. What
Great leaders speak with a resounding VOICE!
You have probably heard the saying, “People don’t leave jobs, they leave leaders.” So, what does it take to be a leader (person in charge [PIC], supervisor, manager, executive) for whom people love to work? What are the things that they do, the skills and behaviors that they demonstrate,
The 10-second measure of maintenance effectiveness
Two decades ago, I worked in the Florida citrus industry. Near the end of each growing season, the fruit became softer. This promoted increased damage during handling, especially in the bins where the fruit was temporarily stored during testing. This, of course, wasted money, as juice literally went
The ‘White Glove Story’ and dirty little TPM secrets
Several years ago, a group called the Maintenance Excellence Roundtable met on the West Coast to present what it had accomplished during the previous year and where it was headed for the coming year. We were privileged to have Robert Williamson in attendance, and he told us a story that stuck with me
Can maintenance and operations coexist? A radical process change story
My previous blog described a plant with no supervisors and with self-directed work teams that handled maintenance and operations. Most of us come from traditional plant organizations with an operations group and a maintenance group with their own supervisors and specialized skilled crafts. One of the
The art of managing layoffs: What to do when cuts are unavoidable
Prior to layoffs, you must maintain lines of open communication regarding the state of the company. The idea of keeping bad news from employees never works. They often hear through the grapevine or even the news media that the company is struggling. If you do not share this information with them, you
Three alternatives to laying off staff members
In this blog, I had intended to discuss the tips and strategies for retaining right-fit employees beyond the training process. It occurred to me that discussing employee retention when so many companies are in the midst of downsizing seems a bit contradictory. So, I thought it best to address the topic
What’s your value point? What’s your unique contribution?
I was an instructor in a program for the U.S. Postal Service for which classes of 40 executives spent two weeks at our Executive Center learning about all functions of the company and gaining a familiarity with the business of business. The latter subject was taught by the American Management Association
A new you … and a new view on organizational performance
As we begin a new year in our organizations, we are committing resources to answer the new challenges in order to bring success to the bottom line. One of the key challenges across many of our situations is employee well-being and health. In order to meet our challenges, we need to ensure our workforces
Is your plant organization ship shape? Probably not.
You are in the engine room of the USS Lincoln. Your job as an oiler is to perform the cleaning and lubrication routes for the steam turbines. You are watching a control panel that monitors all of the ship’s mechanical functions. You have trust that the folks up on the bridge are in agreement about
