MRO Today - A mandate to improve

A mandate to improve

by Tom Hammel

We hear it again and again; consultants and Lean leaders talking about creating systems of Lean processes and standard work hammer on the need to create cultures of improvement as well. Numerous industry authorities have made this exact observation about Detroit’s troubled auto makers. They claim the true reason Detroit is failing to compete with Toyota and Honda in the auto market is that Lean tools by themselves are not enough — Lean culture must follow. While this is a handy — and therefore overly simplistic — summation of a highly complex global issue, there is truth in it.

What “Lean culture” means from one organization to another has many aspects, but one clear component is the empowerment of employees at every level to take charge of their own spheres of operation and “buy into” continuous improvement as a way of life. In other words, it’s not your brain; it’s your heart that makes the difference between success or failure.

The newest Human Resources buzzword mirrors this. Employee “satisfaction” is being supplanted by employee “engagement” as the new challenge for HR professionals. Engagement is the measure of energy and passion employees have for their work. HR experts break engagement into three levels, summarized by the concepts “Stay, Say and Strive.” First, employees must be satisfied enough to “stay” with the company. Secondly, when employees elect to stay, they “say” good things about the company. The third step, when employees are truly engaged, they “strive” to improve the company and do things help it succeed.

In the field of manufacturing and industrial maintenance, some companies are hardwiring “engagement” right into their main grids. S•K Hand Tool Corp., our cover story this issue, provides an excellent example. S•K not only mandates that each employee make a minimum of 10 improvement suggestions per year, it has also created a maintenance position specifically to bring the best ones to life. This team member has carte blanche to seek out potential improvements into physical machines, accessories and processes that will increase safety and efficiency plant-wide. Filled by the same employee for eight years now (our MRO Pro this issue), this position has resulted in numerous improvements that have streamlined S•K’s manufacturing processes, improved worker safety and working conditions and realized unforeseen benefits as well.

It’s a timely lesson. Read the story. Then let me know what you think, at .

This article appeared in the April/May 2006 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright, 2006.