Employee empowerment and team approaches are used for problem solving on the manufacturing floor, leading to significant productivity improvements and culture changes. In this environment, decision making is pushed to the lowest appropriate level and managers are viewed as coaches and facilitators. Cells or business units (as aggregations of several cells) are organized with all necessary support disciplines to assure that production process optimization is achieved. A flat organizational hierarchy is characteristic of this type of environment. Product and process teams have clearly expressed goals, objectives, and schedules, as well as sufficient RAA (responsibility, authority and accountability) to accomplish their goals and objectives. A teaming approach has been institutionalized based on cellular organization of production. Teams “own” the resources of the cell including people, tools, and equipment. Total cost metrics including allocated overhead are given to the teams for management and reduction. These teams routinely solicit feedback from customers - both internal and external. Flexible work rules exist where job classifications are decreasing from a traditional approach and organized labor uses the labor agreements to improve productivity, modifying work rules which prevent improved productivity. Job classification flexibility in cell teams is a response to smooth production flow. Workersare cross-trained in multiple job skills and the skills necessary for team operations. Teams mature to where team members can “buy off” each others work. (This is different than self-inspection. See section 5.) All team members have been trained in teaming techniques. Each employee has an individualized training plan. While “strategic” management of manufacturing suppliers resides in a separate support function, “tactical” supplier management on issues of schedule and quality are exercised by the hourly work force. Teams mature into substantial exercise of authority that can include setting work schedules, approving of new team members, selecting their own leaders, evaluating leaders, assigning jobs and setting goals.
3.1.1 Teams-Support Personnel
Support people are part of Product Organization, and are accountable to the Product Organization. No large central core of support people with independent accountability. Support people have primary accountability to Product Organizations.
Support functions: design, quality, I.E., ME, PC, liaison/eng, tooling, maintenance, planning.
3.1.3 Teams-External Supplier Integration
Teams exercise “tactical” co-ordination with suppliers to production, including working quality, and schedule issues, strategic issues remain in a separate core support function.
Vision: Employee empowerment and team approaches are used for problem solving on the manufacturing floor. Decision making is pushed to the lowest appropriate level and managers are viewed as coaches and facilitators.
3.1 Teams-Manufacturing
3.1.1 Teams-Touch Labor
Factory work force labor has been organized according to product line.
No written plan. Teams may exist, but have no self-direction authority.
Written plan initiated. <10% of factory organized by product line.
10 - 49% of factory organized by product line.
50 - 89% of factory organized by product line.
90% or more of factory organized by product line.
3.1.2 Teams-Support Personnel
Support people are part of Teams at factory Product Organization level, and are accountable to the Product Organization.
No written plan. Large centralized core support organization.
Plan drawn up but no substantive implementation (<10%).
10 - 49% of support functions are part of Product Organization.
50 - 89% of support functions are part of Product Organization.
90% or more of support functions are part of Product Organization.
Teams exercise “tactical” co-ordination with suppliers; working quality and schedule issues.
Not part of written Team plan.
Tactical supplier management in some Product Organizations. (<10%)
Tactical supplier management in some Product Organizations. (10 - 49%)
Tactical supplier management in many Product Organizations. (50 - 89%)
Tactical supplier management in most Product Organizations. (90 - 100%)
3.2 Empowerment of Teams
0 elements or no plan.
1 to 4 elements.
5 to 8 elements.
9 to 12 elements.
13 to 16 elements.
Employee empowerment and team approaches are used for problem solving on the manufacturing floor, leading to significant productivity improvements and culture changes
Elements (in recommended implementation order):
1. Goal setting
2. Work schedule
3. Job assignment
4. Cell configuration
5. Training
6. Meetings.
7. Job Standardization
8. Meaningful Input for New Team Member Selection
9. Leader/Manager Evaluation
10. Peer evaluation (Job Skills)
11. Work Hours
12. Personnel Requirements/Manpower
13. Rewards
14. Cell budgeting/Record Keeping
15. Tactical Supplier Integration
16. Continuous Product and Process Analysis and Improvements
Section / Term
Definition
3.4 Training
The ranking criteria for this section is derived from the American Society for Training Development’s 1998 State of the Industry Report.
3.3 Multi-Skilled Labor
Measuring the ability of workers to perform any work to respond to production needs. (within their capability).
Operators are not trained to operate different machines in their work area.
25 - 49% of all operators are trained.
50 - 74% of all operators are trained.
75 - 90% or of all operators are trained.
>90% of all operators are trained to operate and/or set up machines in other work areas.
3.4 Training
Training is provided to facilitate effective teaming, communication skills, and continuous improvement methods.
