Hierarchy of Power: Ongoing Challenge of Enhancement
Refreshed Version
Heads up, buddy! You ain't digging the proposed change in your reporting structure, right? That's cool, ‘cause I'm here to tell ya, it's bogus. Here's the lowdown:
First off, when you're the plant manager, you're on the hook for everything that goes down in the plant, all the time, every day. CI is among your top priorities, no doubt about it. With the current setup, the corporate CI team supports you. So, logic says they ain't gonna be accountable if improvements don't happen. That's why the corporate leaders are playing dumb.
You're lucky, though. Your company's putting skin in the game when it comes to CI. But they need to learn how to use their resources wisely. Here's what I suggest:
- Centralize education and training on common subjects. This way, factories without their own resources get support.
- Decide on blackbelt and greenbelt support based on plant size and improvement opportunities. Keep the skill sets local, that's crucial.
- The corporate CI team should coordinate and share crucial improvements across locations. They've got the bird's-eye view and can make things happen across the organization.
- Avoid over-reliance on corporate staff for CI. The factory is accountable, not some distant corporate office.
As you can see, a consulting-type relationship with the corporate CI team offers several benefits for continuous improvement initiatives. Key benefits include knowledge sharing, objective perspective, enhanced collaboration, increased employee engagement, and scalable, sustainable improvement. By leveraging your corporate CI team's expertise, fostering collaboration, and breaking down silos, you can drive inefficiencies out of your factory, scale successful practices, and instill a continuous improvement culture. Good luck, mate!
"If you want to change the mindset, start with a change in behavior." -Katharine Hepburn, actress
"A step backward after making a wrong turn is a step in the right direction." -Kurt Vonnegut
Larry Fast led the Ask the Expert: Lean Leadership series on our website. He is the founder and president of Pathways to Manufacturing Excellence and a veteran of 35 years in the wire and cable industry. He is the author of The 12 Principles of Manufacturing Excellence, A Lean Leader’s Guide to Achieving and Sustaining Excellence, 2nd. Edition.
Enrichment Data:
Benefits Table
| Benefit | Description ||---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|| Knowledge Sharing | Transfer of expertise and best practices across departments || Objective Perspective | Unbiased identification of inefficiencies and areas for improvement || Enhanced Collaboration | Improved communication and teamwork between CI and factory teams || Increased Employee Engagement | Higher motivation, ownership, and satisfaction among factory staff || Scalable, Sustainable Improvement | Consistent, long-term adoption and scaling of successful CI initiatives |
- To foster a continuous improvement culture and drive inefficiencies out of the factory, it's essential to leverage the corporate CI team's expertise for knowledge sharing and objective perspective in the finance, business, and industry sectors.
- A centralized approach to education and training in the industry, focusing on common subjects, will not only support factories without their own resources but also facilitate scalable, sustainable improvement in finance and business practices.
