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In This
Issue...
 Angels With
Rotary Wings
Reality Mirrors
Movie
Mentoring
Aikido
Stop The
Merry-Go-Round
Features...
Peter Block
Column
Views for a
Change
Pageturners
Briefcases
Diary
of a Shutdown
|
 Views for a
Change
Consultant
Q&A
John Runyan Responds
:
--Your question raises a
dilemma faced by many team leaders and coordinators in
these fast-moving times. While the need for focused and
effective problem solving is increasing, people both have
and take less time to do the disciplined analysis needed to
really address the root causes that interfere with
productivity.
--In responding to your
situation, I start with the premise that most workers are
smart. Whatever their human tendencies, to move quickly or
jump ahead, they will think and act constructively if they
are genuinely encouraged, valued and rewarded. If they
don’t act in ways that are encouraged (at least
verbally and on the surface), then one or two of the other
critical variables are missing to some degree. Without
knowing much more of the specific context in your plant, I
can only speculate about what may be going on.
--If your company is
like many others today, you are operating under pressures
to both produce now and find new competitive,
cost-efficient improvements over time. In the face of these
pressures, many managers in other businesses have turned to
quick fixes to first order problems as the easiest and best
way to stay productive in the present. In the experience of
these managers, they cannot afford to take the time, effort
and money to delve into the root causes of certain
problems. They are rewarded and promoted only for what they
are able to do about today’s problems—not
long-term issues.
--As importantly, if and
when these managers and their teams do take the time to
work through a disciplined method of problem solving, they
often run into difficulties outside of their control.
Specifically, when they end up making recommendations for
corrective actions, they encounter higher-level managers
who are unable or unwilling to invest in the solutions to
deeply-rooted problems. For example, in recent years, many
top-level managers have been reluctant to spend the money
on training, team-building, process revisions and
professional skill development that often turn up as the
needed remedies for production and customer service
difficulties.
--This across-the-board
resistance to medium to long-term investing has also
materialized in companies where the commitment to specific
products, workers and sites has diminished in favor of
close-outs and lay-offs. All of these factors have led some
employees to doubt the need for and the worth of working
long and hard at multi-step, root-cause-oriented,
problem-solving methods.
--Here is my advice
to leaders, managers and coordinator/facilitators like
yourself: Spell out your expectations for the use of a
structured problem-solving methodology in no uncertain
terms.
--Then value the efforts
of your workers when they use it—by both word and
deed. Challenge and even turn back their solutions when
they do not use the disciplined, in-depth approach that you
want. Build their commitment to using the preferred
methodology by committing to implement their proposed root
cause solutions whenever and wherever possible. And
finally, reward them with tangible benefits when they
deliver successful and cost-effective solutions to these
more substantial problems.
David Farrell
responds:
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for a Change Homepage
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