Meeting to Improve Production - Essay Example

Meeting to Improve Production prepared by assembly unit supervisor submitted to company owner submitted SITUATION , This quarter’s production goal is falling short. , Employee morale is declining For the past several weeks, my assembly unit has been assembling an average of only 62 units per day, and 15% are being returned to my unit for failure to meet quality assurance standards. To meet our goal, we must assemble 80 units per day and ensure that a minimum of 95% pass inspection. Returns to my unit for this quarter have increased by 10%. INFORMATION GATHERED I have met with the people in my group and have gathered the following statements: , Afra complained to me privately that she can’t complete final assemblies due to Ahmad’s slow and shoddy job of assembling hard drives. , When confronting Ahmad, he stated he is having difficulty getting reliable parts from the supply unit. Some parts have been out of spec, and rather than wait four hours for the supply department to bring new parts, he has been repairing the defective parts himself. , Ahmad also said that production problems have more to do with Afra talking to Tariq for the first two hours every morning, then working hard for the next six hours to make up. , Ahmad also claims that Afra is bored, so she deliberately does rush work to make her job more challenging. , The group is angry because I gave Tariq several days off to attend his high school reunion even though he spends the first two hours each day talking to Afra, comes in late, and our unit is not making production goals , The group is also angry because Afra was singled out for her outstanding performance by giving her a 5% pay raise for helping the assembly unit to meet its goal for the first half of the year. , Mai has told me she wants to leave the company because of the infighting in the unit. She has been interviewing with our competitor. I have also noticed that Tariq is also coming to work late and that Ahmad is taking longer lunches. There is a substantial drop in the level of cohesion and communication within the group. Tariq, Afra, and Ahmad seem to talk only to each other and no one else. Ahmad is also keeping to himself more than usual. EMPLOYEE PROFILE: Ahmad is responsible for assembling all hard drives for each unit. 20-year-old retired Army sergeant with 16 years electronics experience. Hard worker; been assembling hard drives for 6 years. Has electronics degree and been working in this unit for one year. Mai assembles the mother boards. Single mom with 2 children. Will have Bachelor’s Degree in electrical engineering in 3 months. Been working in this unit for 4 years. Outstanding employee. Afra does the final assembly. 22-year-old. Been working in this unit for 6 months. Tariq performs all unit’s final operational inspections before the units are sent to the quality assurance unit. Has 5 years experience in the parts supply department. Attended company’s operational inspection course and transferred to assembly unit 6 months ago. No electronics experience beyond the company course, but is responsible for final product. DATA COLLECTING METHOD To assess the situation appropriately and thoroughly, I have utilized Maslow’s Need Hierarchy. Maslow theorized that all humans have needs that must be met. Psychologist Abraham Maslow was determined to figure out why people behave in certain ways. The result of his work was a five part hierarchy of needs that attempts to explain human behavior. The five parts if the hierarchy are basic, safety, social, self esteem, and self-actualization. Basic needs are defined as physiological needs that must be met before a person can focus on any other aspect of their life. These needs are those required for sustenance, such as water, air, and food. If a person is lacking a basic need, their behavior will be aimed at getting them, whatever the cost. Within the workplace, several examples of basic needs are rest periods, lunch breaks, and wages. Safety needs in the workplace can include job security, seniority, pensions, and medical and life insurance. A person must feel safe and be granted a freedom from fear. Only then can they continue to excel. Social needs are defined as the need for love, affection, and a sense of belonging in one’s relationships with other persons. Workplace examples of these needs include work groups, teamwork, and company outings. Friendships are beneficial to humans at home and in the workplace, but some employers do not realize the importance of this association. Research has shown that promoting social interaction among employees will increase morale and productivity. Self esteem needs are defined as the need for the esteem of others; respect, prestige, recognition, and personal sense of competence. Humans are egocentric, and everyone likes to be praised. A worker appreciates recognition for a job well done. This recognition will motivate them to continue working hard for the company. If the praise is lacking, the worker will begin to understand that doing quality work is unnecessary. The praise need merely be a few words of gratitude in the presence of their peers. The last level of Maslow’s hierarchy, the pinnacle of achievement, is self-actualization. This represents a lofty goal for an individual; the need to fulfill oneself; to grow and use one’s abilities to the fullest and most creative extent. The concept offers a variety of interpretations, because it differs with each person. One individual may feel that their maximum potential is to be the manager. For this person, this achievement will supply all the happiness he or she needs, and the person will be fulfilled. Another person may feel that a position of manager is below their potential, so getting the title would not be adequate for happiness. Such potential, when achieved by all employees, allows the organization to achieve heights beyond expectations. Later in his career, Maslow continued his thought on the hierarchy and further divided the fifth level of self-actualization into four different parts. He assumed four things of self actualized people. They are 1) being problem focused, 2) incorporating an ongoing freshness of appreciation of life, 3) concerned about personal growth, and 4) able to have peak experiences. Based on these assumptions, he created four more levels. Instead of the fifth level being simply self-actualization. He named it cognitive: to know, to understand, and to explore. The sixth level is the aesthetic: the pursuit of symmetry, order, and beauty. The seventh level is self-actualization: to find self fulfillment and realize one’s potential. The eighth and final level is transcendence: to help others find self fulfillment and realize their own potential. Observing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be a useful way for an organization to help their employees. Providing their personnel with an appropriate atmosphere will lead to the employee’s development along the path to self-actualization. RECOMMENDATIONS , Establish a Production Policies and Procedures Manual , Organize weekly meetings with personnel to brainstorm ideas for better production methods and to discuss any positive and negative feedback , Schedule pay raises based on performance only at yearly evaluations , It might be productive and cost effective to have Tariq inspect parts before being forwarded to Ahmad for installation , Discuss options re keeping Mai in our organization , Team vs Group ----Not all groups are teams, but all teams are groups. The difference between a team and a group is that a team is interdependent for overall performance. A group qualifies as a team only if its members focus on helping each other to accomplish organizational objectives. , Discuss optional morale boosters , Begin a cross-training program. An empowered employee is a motivated team member. , Consider shift work. Many workers in UAE work split shifts, with a few hours off in the afternoon, then returning to the workplace in the evening. , Provide opportunities for people to make decisions about and control and/or influence their own job. , Make opportunities available for people to express their opinion about policies and procedures. Recognize the impact of changes in such areas as work hours, pay, benefits, assignment of overtime hours, comp pay, dress codes, office location, job requirements, and working conditions. These factors are closest to the mind, heart, and physical presence of each individual. Changes to these can cause serious negative responses. Provide timely, proactive responses to questions and concerns. , Help people feel like team members. Each person wants to have the same information as quickly as everyone else. Provide the context for decisions, and communicate effectively and constantly. If several avenues or directions are under consideration, communicate all that you know, as soon as you know it. Reserve the right to change your mind later, without consequence, when additional factors affect the direction of ultimate decisions. , Provide appropriate framework, including mission, vision, values, and goals. People want to feel as if they are a part of something bigger than themselves. If they understand the direction, and their part in making the desired outcomes happen, they can effectively contribute more. , Provide appropriate rewards and recognition so people feel their contribution is valued. Reward and recognition is one of the most powerful tools an organization can use to buoy staff morale. “One of the surest ways to raise the level of a team is to cut from the bottom and add to the top.” Jack Welsh, CEO with GE 1980-2000 BIBLIOGRAPHY Maslow’s Hierarchy: Applications in the Workplace http://academic.emporia.edu/smithwil/00fallmg443/eja/tuel.html Tips for Minimizing Workplace Negativity - Human Resources http://humanresources.about.com recommendations (with bullets) With supporting evidence ..................... bibliography Read More