Meeting Based or Event Based Empowerment

12/19/13...Which is best for a functional team? Meeting based empowerment, event based empowerment, or project based empowerment? Factors such as plant culture dictate which one or ones are most appropriate on the journey. Over the last three years, most of our teams met (meeting based) on a regular basis with Point Kaizens (event based) sporadically dotting their journey. Let me spend a moment clarifying what I mean in regards to each of these empowerment approaches. However, let me first explain a functional team.

In our organization, empowerment centers on the functional team. A typical functional team can be a department, an area, or a machine. Examples are customer service or in the case of our company, a bag making machine. The thought is harnessing the power of function versus cross-function. With cross-functional groups, the challenge for the team members is carrying back decisions to the rest of the group who had no input into what they are being asked. The challenge with functional groups is coming up with fresh ideas and perspective. Neither is the end all, it is just a matter of intentional choice which most fits within the mission and objectives of the organization. For us, we decided functional teams were most appropriate in addressing low effort/low impact items. For higher effort/higher impact opportunities we would use cross functional Kaizen or Six Sigma teams.

Further, empowerment in our plant culture means the teams are not self-directed, but do exhibit behaviors of a self-directed work team, such as deciding roles like team leader, minute taker or knowledge experts. Now there is more to this, but I think this is enough to move on to this idea of choosing meeting based, event based, or project based empowerment.

Meeting based empowerment means the functional team meets on a regular basis, typically weekly, every other week, or monthly. Frequency depends on the situation. The main benefit I see from meeting based is regular work area communication and promoting working together as a team. Once these teams start meeting, the complaining of shift leaving shift in such an undesirable manner virtually evaporates. However, one of the keys in this approach in a manufacturing environment is support from the maintenance, technical and engineering group.

Event based empowerment means the functional team focuses on a specific area of focus in a Point Kaizen event. Examples are 5S, SOC, JSA, PFMEA, etc. Instead of a meeting lasting 1-2 hours, the team comes together in 1-2 day event. The advantages in this approach are the team rallies around a common goal in a short amount of time. The objectives are usually clear, and the topic focuses more on what the team is in control of. There is also satisfaction in doing the work and seeing the results all within the 1-2 day period. Everyone parts ways feeling good about the time spent working on improvement. In meeting based empowerment, teams sometimes lose sight of what they are accomplishing because activities are spread out over time between meetings.

Project based empowerment is similar to a Kaizen or Six Sigma event. A Kaizen event focuses activity within a week’s time frame. A Six Sigma event focuses activity over the course of typically 6 months and the focus centers mostly around the DMAIC process. Project based events center around a topic and may not be as data driven as a Six Sigma event. Cross functional teams are primarily used in Kaizen and Six Sigma projects because different perspectives bring strengths to the process. Project based typically are cross functional but can be functional. Overall project based empowerment the less used of all the approaches in our business.

So I hope this offers some insight into what I see as the differences between types of empowerment.

Stiffnecked

12/16/13...Stiffnecked. The word keeps creeping into my thoughts. This word was used by God and through God by the prophets in the Old Testament. The general meaning most people associate with stiffnecked is stubborn. But I am curious to go a little deeper. I look up the word in the iPhone app, dictionary.com. I start to piece together threads of a larger picture. One definition leads to another and then another. Below are some key words and their linked definitions I pieced together.

 

Stiffnecked - haughty and obstinate; refractory

 

Haughty - scornfully arrogant

 

Obstinate - not easily overcome

 

Refractory - stubbornly disobedient; hard to deal with; hard to please or satisfy

 

I think the last phrase sums it up for me; hard to please or satisfy. When I think of what I've read in the Old Testament, this is what comes to mind. Over and over again the Israelites rejoice, but then soon forget and start complaining again. This is a reoccurring pattern from the time they exit Egypt until the demise of their nation. I have read through the Old Testament three times and I realize the story never gets better. I wonder why God created us when he knew the deficiencies in our free will. Maybe this is what happened to satan. Was the arch angel not satisfied or stiffnecked which led to his fall? Maybe he wanted more. Was the arch angel created with free will and God knew this would happen? I do not know, but I wonder.

 

Maybe part of the purpose in our journey on earth is God testing us to understand who will embrace Him and not turn from Him. I am sure He does not want more satans. Throughout the Bible, God directly or through others promises trials, tribulations and tests of our faith. Is he testing me to understand if I can find satisfaction in Him or will I turn from Him to seek what I want?

 

How does this relate to the Toil? Well, over the last six months or so I am getting worn down by all the complaining from a select group of people at our plant. I am finding it hard to please or satisfy the complaining. It seems no matter the good intentions of leadership, it is never enough. Once certain levels of needs, either realized or unrealized are met, forgetfulness creeps in, and a whole new level of unrealized or realized expectations crops up. Seemingly what the leadership group does is never enough. We are unable to satisfy. This is where I have talked about the spiritual component missing in teaming. In Eastern culture, I have read work and personal life are integrated. If so, this may somewhat explain the dilemma. In Western culture, typically work and personal life are kept separate. I know this holds true for me. Any relationships I develop at work typically do not carry over when I go to work for another company. The compartmentalizing means work relationships may only be superficial at best.

 

Back to my dilemma at work. In writing about this dilemma I am experiencing, I must admit my natural inclination is to retreat, but this only makes matters worse. I must one, accept I am in the same boat. I am just as stiffnecked as those I am writing about. I must realize patience. I must seek out God in relationship with zeal to continually overcome my stiffneckedness. My only hope is in the fruit of the Spirit. By engaging in relationship and letting the fruit of the Spirit overcome me, maybe I have a chance. No longer will I have to depend on my own power in overcoming complaining, because my satisfaction is no longer rooted in those who are complaining. My eyes are on the things above.

 

Yea, seeking my satisfaction in this world will lead to disappointment. As a result, I will complain. Seeking my satisfaction in God rises me above worldly disappointment. Is this what the Israelites failed to understand? Is this what I am failing to understand?

A Team Vision

 

 

S.M.A.R.T. Performance Reviews

9/18/13...Within scripture is there any support in giving people performance reviews with rankings? I wonder about this, mostly because I am sitting here rating myself on a scale of 1-5 in fifteen different core value and skill competencies. Here is how this process works. I must self-rate myself. Then I must submit this review of myself to my boss. Then my boss rates me on a scale of 1-5. Then we sit down together and agree on the rating. Then I leave feeling a mixed range of emotions, mostly why I am unable to achieve a 5. My boss is relieved because this exercise does not have to occur again for another 6 months at the mid-year review.

 

Inherently I see nothing wrong with the performance review. In Proverbs, Solomon talks about the wise person who seeks counsel. The performance review is a good format for this. The problem comes in when ranking is part of the process. The whole dynamic changes. The focus becomes on a number versus the content. It is demeaning to me, the person who is rated, and for me as a boss, I agonize in "rating" somebody, as if I am on some judgment pedestal.

 

Think about this. Most people are married. Most people who are married generally discuss the health of their relationship at some point. Sometimes the discussions are proactive, sometimes they center on issues. Now imagine if I gave my spouse fifteen different focus areas; maybe doing chores, financial responsibility, lovemaking, consideration, etc. Now what if I decide to give a formal feedback session on these focus areas called a performance review. I now will rank my spouse on a scale of 1-5 in each of these areas. This I know. I am not going to feel good about doing this nor is she. Now, what if I was on the receiving end of her doing this to me? This I also know. I am not going to feel good about this either. I probably will become defensive, maybe demoralized and certainly not encouraged.

 

Maybe this is why Deming advised against ranking people. When ranking someone 1-5, the implicit expectation is a 5, but the problem is no one is ever a 5 in every category. When expectations are placed on people, this robs them of their inherent desire to do a good job, or as Deming puts it, "pride of workmanship."

 

Indeed, I wonder if ranking belongs in performance reviews.

Festering

12/5/13...I need to take a moment and capture a kernel of enlightenment. This hit me in a team meeting on Tuesday. My day had already been long. The meeting started at 6pm. And within minutes, complaining started. I thought to myself, oh no, not again. Here I am as a coach thinking I just want to abandon ship. In this case however, the complaint is a legitimate issue. Part of the problem is an ongoing issue with a support department communicating effectively with the team regarding an improvement status. For three years, I have fought this battle, mostly because the person in charge is finding difficulty in embracing teaming. So anyway, one of the operators talked about a problem with a roller in the machine. Work orders were put in, and no response. None. The poor operator is exasperated. His shoulders slump. The team's body language responds in the same manner. This is a major problem on a machine creating substantial downtime and scrap.

 

And then the thought hits me. Come to the Tier 3 meeting and explain the problem. The Tier 3 is a Plant Leadership meeting everyday at 9am. With standing room only, updates and problems are escalated to this group. The Plant Manager then decides if someone needs to work on the problem, resources it, and documents the problem on a kaizen newspaper. Every day this paper is reviewed until the item is complete.

 

Since the entire group is there, the person representing the team with the problem is heard by all.

 

In the past, the hands of team coaches were somewhat tied because at our plant they do not all have the authority or ability to resource. So now I am going to encourage coaches to determine if an item is out of scope. If it is, then ask someone on the team to come to the Tier 3 to discuss the problem. This is big! I have no doubt this will prevent problems from festering...and maybe help me retain some of my sanity.

A Compelling Narrative

9/23/13...Today I led the first day of a week long Policy Deployment event for our plant. Policy Deployment is a strategic process which helps an organization select the "critical few" items amongst many possibilities. This is the fourth time I am leading this type of event. In years past, the energy level was high from the start. Not so this year. The leadership team seems "worn out." Why? There are plenty of potential narratives to work on for next year. However, I am going to argue there is no "compelling narrative."  

 

I think a video a co-worker shared with me last week may help explain some of what I am feeling and maybe what the leadership team is feeling. The video is from RSA, an organization seeking social change through shared ideas and actions. This particular ten minute video focused on what drives or motivates people. There were a number of findings; 1) monetary rewards drive motivation for tasks requiring no cognizant thinking, 2) monetary rewards are a dis-incentive when cognizant thinking comes into play, 3) as long as people are paid as they perceive "fairly", their motivation then focuses on autonomy, mastery, and purpose, and 4) when profits are divorced from purpose, bad things begin happening. To me, these findings make sense.

 

This is the crossroads. I shared this video with the leadership group today. It fell flat. Seemingly, no connection. And yet, Father, I am a seed. Indeed, I feel today was nothing more than planting a seed. The thing is, with some watering, even I have no idea if a plant will sprout or if the seed will remain in the ground for some time. Indeed, two years ago I wrote about purpose in teaming, and now I find some water pouring on the seed.

 

The plant within the seed is this. I must have a "compelling narrative" to find purpose in my life once my primal needs are met (including "pay" as no longer a driving issue). The "compelling narrative" of business only takes me so far. Does this hold true for others? For the first three years at my company, I found some compelling narratives, such as 1) empowering people so they can make their work lives better through teaming and activist committees, 2) reducing customer complaints so our customers (line workers and leaders) do not face the frustrations of dealing with poor product and thus in turn negatively affecting their families and neighbors, 3) learning lean versus traditional leadership methods in order to engage people and improve, 4) achieving SQF requirements so we retain business and our people have job security, and 5) achieving a 5 year contract with Coke so we help everyone attain job security. These are all noteworthy compelling narratives in a business environment. However, after three years, are these type of narratives starting to fall flat?

 

I believe the challenge ahead, as a business, is connecting purpose with profits. I fear our company may be losing sight of "compelling narratives." Over the last four of five years, our company is enjoying record profits. This in lieu of the Great Recession. But as the speaker via RSA shared, profits divided from purpose, is a minefield. All I hear from leadership is the need to drive, drive, drive sales, profits, and cost reduction. Where is the purpose beyond profits?

 

Only when we find our "compelling narrative" within the necessary profits, will we find purpose. Herein lies my continued challenge in the Toil. Grace is my "compelling narrative." However, as a business leader, weaving in Grace with the Toil in a secular business environment eludes me.

 

 

 

Team Based Empowerment, St. Augustine and My Brain Cell

9/17/13...Today I experienced, with the help of others, an epiphany of wisdom regarding team based empowerment. Later, I wondered where this came from. In my head, there are brain cells causing thought. Somehow these cell tissues create and capture a thought from nothing. Think about this.  There is no encyclopedia in my head. There is no internet device where I can google knowledge. Somehow wisdom forms in my flesh, in my cell tissues. When I die and a coroner examines my brain, this person will find no evidence this thought ever existed. There is nothing for them to read. There is nothing for them to google search. I find this a remarkable miracle and I am not even sure if you, the reader, can really appreciate the magnitude of this realization. St. Augustine, one of the pillars of Christianity, once wrote, "men go abroad, to wonder at the height of mountains, the huge waves of the sea, the long course of rivers, the vast compass of the oceans, the circular motion of the stars, but they pass by themselves and don't even notice." How true. Then I remembered reading a recent passage in the Book of Job. In the Book, God responds to Job's cries, "Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?" Indeed. I am perplexed regarding why this is resonating with me so much today. I feel this strong compulsion to one, write the wisdom down, and two, acknowledge God.

Here is the wisdom. There  are three approaches in empowering work based teams; meeting based empowerment, event based empowerment and project based empowerment. Seemingly, a simple realization, but the depth within this realization is nothing less than monumental. Yesterday this wisdom eluded me. Today the parts coalesced in an epiphany of which I was able to verbally communicate to my boss and a peer. The threads of this thought came from others, but in my DNA, God planted the ability of Connectedness. According to Strengthsfinder, a firm who coined this word, anyone with a trait of Connectedness is able to see how all the parts connect. Once again, I think to the Book of Jeremiah where God speaks this truth, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." God formed this trait in me and knew the purposes behind the trait, sometimes which seemingly elude me.

Indeed, I am a creature, a human being, known by God before I was born. My formation is nothing less than a miracle of life, of whom God is the ultimate mother and father. This trait bestowed upon me connected today in a toil realization. I started writing about this experience without acknowledging God in it. After writing a page and reading the words, I realized how hollow this wisdom was. Why? No where in the words did I acknowledge my Creator who bestowed this gift on me. My words were empty, and prideful. Most strikingly there was no depth in what I wrote. Realizing this, I scratched over an hour's worth of words. I then thought about God and started writing again. And suddenly I felt energized, appreciative, and grateful for this gift today. No longer do my words seem hollow, without depth nor prideful, instead they feel alive.

Continuous Decay Manager

1/9/13...Underappreciating decay seems somewhat of a misnomer. After all, why should I appreciate decay? Well maybe because I underappreciated the effects of decay in  my past work experiences. Not until recently did I finally begin understanding the true depth of this concept and the effects in a manufacturing environment. Since my role is continuous improvement, my focus is naturally on improvement. However I wonder if there should be a counterpart to a Continuous Improvement Manager called a Continuous Decay Manager.

Dr. Donald Wheeler, a renown statistician, illustrates this better than any other person I have come across (see diagram below). Check out his website at www.spcpress.com. In his book, Understanding Statistical Process Control, Wheeler discusses the 4 possible states all processes are in, but more importantly, how entropy or decay is constantly counteracting improvement. Wheeler's focus is SPC, but conceptually I understand how his diagram applies to everything in an organization, including a Lean Transformation.

In my experience, I have found most people love improving something or making something better. This is gratifying. Once our improvement is complete, pat ourselves on the back and let's move on to the next improvement. Managerial levels within an organization from Plant Manager down to Team Leads exhibit this behavior. But according to Wheeler, as soon as improvement is complete, decay begins. How true this is. From a cultural standpoint, more people are rewarded for making something better versus preventing something from decay. I believe this is ingrained in all of us. Certainly in my career, it is more about what I accomplished (i.e. improved) lately versus what decay I prevented.

Dr. Wheeler also helped me understand both decay and improvement take effort. I wonder if I conducted a poll, how many people if given a choice would rather place their efforts in addressing decay or making improvements. My guess is most people love putting forth effort to improve but far fewer enjoy addressing the decay. There is more glory in hitting home runs then there is in laying down sacrifice bunts.

TBM, a Lean consulting firm, in part addresses this issue with what they call MDI or Managing for Daily Improvement. I found most of the concepts of MDI are from a book originally wrote by Ryuji Fukuda called Managerial Engineering, a book published in 1982. In part, such use of tools as T-cards, layered auditing, tiered meetings, kaizen newspapers, and A3's if used correctly will help this problem of decay. From my perspective, which I acknowledge is limited, I am not sure regarding the effectiveness of these tools. Based on how I was taught, there seems to be alot of room for system improvement.

In this coming year, I hope to make a "step change" in my thinking and execution of this topic. Maybe I should ask my Plant Manager to change my title to Continuous Decay Manager for an entire year. I wonder if I did, what changes would occur in my thinking and those I work with?