Involve and believe in your people!
Many companies and corporations rely solely on upper-level management to solve their problems. After all, isn’t that what these “C-level” employees are for…problem solving?
We have been lucky enough to witness corporate turn-a-rounds in our lifetime of epic proportions…from leadership paradigm shifts.
A great example is Johnsonville Sausage LLC. In 1980, Johnsonville Sausage President, Ralph Stayer knew he had a great market share, but didn’t like the way his operation was functioning within. He knew that Johnsonville could handle there current market share at the time, but major players like Oscar Mayer and Armour were a big threat. He knew that if management was improved and internal issues were solved, Johnsonville would thrive beyond his wildest dreams.
After reading books and articles on management techniques, Slayer was approached in 1981 by a communication consultant from the University of Wisconsin, Lee Thayer. After the consultation, Slayer’s thoughts changed from, “How do we expanded our market share through competition with the big guys,” to, “if we concentrate on our people, our products will be better.”
The turn of events that followed:
The changes began small, and gradually encompassed the entire way of doing business. For example, workers had complained to Stayer that they did not like the food in the factory's vending machines. Stayer had them research competitors and find a new vending machine company. Ordinarily, Stayer or another manager would have dealt with this. But Stayer felt that it was not his problem, and he trusted the people who used the vending machines to make the best decision about them. Next came more complex problems. The sausage makers often had to work weekends in order to meet delivery dates, and they resented this. Stayer prodded the workers and plant managers to figure out how they could avoid weekend work, and soon equipment downtime was revealed as the problem. Slipshod work practices had led to a lot of stalled time on the production line. When it was up to them to change it, the Johnsonville workers made many improvements that kept the plant going, and soon they were able to get their weekends free. The workers eventually took responsibility for traditional human resources roles, hiring, firing, and training. Lateness, absence, and maintenance problems declined, and the plant became much more efficient. Workers were compensated for new roles they took on, and they also earned a share of the company's profits. Stayer put 28 percent of profits into a pool that was divvied up every six months. This greatly increased motivation at Johnsonville.
Quality control had been a major issue at the company. Though Stayer had hired more quality control people since 1980, he found that quality had actually gone down. Finally he took a crucial step. He decided that top management would no longer taste the sausage. He asked the people who made the sausage to taste it in a daily session. This seemed to make all the difference. Quality went up as the line workers got to eat and critique what they made. Eventually customer complaint letters were funneled directly to the production workers. They responded to customers and used customer input to find ways to make the sausage better. The quality control department became a new animal at Johnsonville. Instead of checking the quality of the sausage, the quality control department began providing technical support to the line workers who wanted to improve quality. Terminology also changed throughout the company. Workers became "members," and managers became "coordinators" or "coaches." (FundingUniverse, 2004)
Johnsonville has been the center of many management speeches and talks since this radical change. Stayer proved that investing in and listening to the people would increase the business at all levels. He gambled and won! He trusted his people and believed what they were telling him. He realized his thoughts were not the be-all-end-all.
My challenge to you is to ask your people what they would do about a specific problem the company may be experiencing. Let them know that you value their thoughts and opinions in that specific matter, and they will become “owners” of that process.
Source: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Johnsonville-Sausage-LLC-Company-History.html
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Ethics Awareness
Your ETHICAL style
When you make a decision or analyze a situation, what matters most to you? Is it the final outcome? Is it how the majority of people will be affected? Or is it the character of certain individuals? How do you approach situations? When making those difficult decisions, what is the most important aspect to consider? Only you know the answers to these questions.
In this post I will scratch the surface of the Ethical Awareness Inventory. I will give brief definitions of what each person thinks of while making a decision or utilizing any thought process.
There are four major components (Character, Obligation, Results, and Equity) to the Ethics Awareness Inventory. If you took an Ethics Awareness Inventory or survey in the past you know what I am talking about. If not, that’s okay. The results of an inventory would be listed within one of the aforementioned.
They are:
If Character is the overwhelming factor, your perspective leans toward what it is good to be, rather than what it is good to do. You believe that moral excellence should be achieved and look beyond an individual’s actions and into his/her character.
If Obligation is what drives you, you look toward duty, or obligation to do what is morally correct. You believe that ethical principals should be respectful of human dignity, be universal, and promote individual freedom.
If Results are most important to you, the consequences of actions usually take precedence. Ethical judgment must be based on concrete, factual evidence. Talking is not good enough, action is what matters.
If Equity is what revs your motor, you look for stability. Pragmatism and normal day-to-day experiences are usually the only real guide to action. You believe that no set decision is adequate for all time.
You will notice that the acronym for the above categories is C.O.R.E. It is fairly simple to remember because your CORE values guide your ethics and decision making skills.
What are your thoughts on ethics? When do ethics play a role in your decision making process, and do you think about others, respect, outcomes, or yourself? What is the difference between right and wrong, and how often do you battle with making a decision because of fine line between right and wrong?
My challenge to you is to figure out what the most important factor to you when making a decision. Ask yourself these questions: Who will my decision affect? What will the ramifications be? Is it right or wrong? Is a person’s character more important than the outcome they produce?
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
When you make a decision or analyze a situation, what matters most to you? Is it the final outcome? Is it how the majority of people will be affected? Or is it the character of certain individuals? How do you approach situations? When making those difficult decisions, what is the most important aspect to consider? Only you know the answers to these questions.
In this post I will scratch the surface of the Ethical Awareness Inventory. I will give brief definitions of what each person thinks of while making a decision or utilizing any thought process.
There are four major components (Character, Obligation, Results, and Equity) to the Ethics Awareness Inventory. If you took an Ethics Awareness Inventory or survey in the past you know what I am talking about. If not, that’s okay. The results of an inventory would be listed within one of the aforementioned.
They are:
If Character is the overwhelming factor, your perspective leans toward what it is good to be, rather than what it is good to do. You believe that moral excellence should be achieved and look beyond an individual’s actions and into his/her character.
If Obligation is what drives you, you look toward duty, or obligation to do what is morally correct. You believe that ethical principals should be respectful of human dignity, be universal, and promote individual freedom.
If Results are most important to you, the consequences of actions usually take precedence. Ethical judgment must be based on concrete, factual evidence. Talking is not good enough, action is what matters.
If Equity is what revs your motor, you look for stability. Pragmatism and normal day-to-day experiences are usually the only real guide to action. You believe that no set decision is adequate for all time.
You will notice that the acronym for the above categories is C.O.R.E. It is fairly simple to remember because your CORE values guide your ethics and decision making skills.
What are your thoughts on ethics? When do ethics play a role in your decision making process, and do you think about others, respect, outcomes, or yourself? What is the difference between right and wrong, and how often do you battle with making a decision because of fine line between right and wrong?
My challenge to you is to figure out what the most important factor to you when making a decision. Ask yourself these questions: Who will my decision affect? What will the ramifications be? Is it right or wrong? Is a person’s character more important than the outcome they produce?
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
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