8. REAL: Old Wine in New Bottles
The final push to overcome resistance and get everyone to fully open up came after three years of working together.
We had reached an impasse—progress had stalled. Top management was becoming a barrier, holding back further improvement. The owner and I had many conversations about this.
A typical consulting relationship is artificial by nature. You arrive, discuss, plan, assign tasks, and have deep conversations while you’re there. Then you leave, and things often slip back to old habits. What was missing here was continuity. Instead of me traveling every two or three months, which disrupted the daily routine and cost the owner a lot of money, I took a suggestion from my wife: why not work weekly, online, face-to-face using virtual meetings? It was a simple idea, but it worked astonishingly well. The consistent contact allowed us to stay on top of issues, address them in real-time, and see what was happening under normal conditions.
Cultivating a Learning Company
Upper management needed new skills to help build a company where the “willing workers” had more control over their work and their future. We started by training them in supervisory skills. The goal was clear: teach the managers, have them teach the supervisors, and then learn even deeper management skills.
At one point, the general manager wanted to address issues through confrontation. I pushed for a comprehensive Supervisory Development Program instead. After some missteps, it was finally put into place, and it made a huge difference. The relationship between supervisors and management became stronger, turning lackluster performance into something much more vibrant.
The journey to full transformation doesn’t end with management alone. It extends to every part of the company. Supervisors need to be fully trained, and they, in turn, need to train the willing workers on an ongoing basis. Only then can the full potential of the plant be realized, and the journey of Never Ending Improvement truly begin.
(These Supervisory Development Conferences are one of the services I provide online, in-person, and through self-study at mastermanaging.com, e no Brasil tudonalinha.com.br.)
Curriculum of the Supervisor Development Conferences
Introduction:
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Section Two: Managing the Relationships Within the System
Section Three: Human Nature - People, Behavior, and Job Relations
Section Four: Nature, Processes, and Method Improvement
Section Five: Job Instruction
Why Invest in Supervisor Training?
Some might think I'm crazy to teach supervisors all these things. But there's a simple reason: knowledge is the only effective way to manage. The money invested in their development pays off many times over. Properly trained supervisors eliminate hidden losses and catch problems as they happen. You can either pay now or pay later, but the price is always higher later. The investment in training brings profits not just now, but for years to come. Listen to the client!
"We have achieved a level of teamwork and enjoyment of work that I don’t believe would ever have been possible without Dan’s help. And we did it by learning, I would have never thought."
James
Pickled Peppers, Inc.
Founder na Innovate Your Daily Work IDW™
1moAlso, for management history buffs, which I pray still exist, the course of study is heavily influenced by the work of Sarasohn and Problems with the Japanese, and TWI. But it is not a copy.
Founder na Innovate Your Daily Work IDW™
1moThis happened in 2006, so it predated by a decade online meetings