Making Hotplates
Making Hotplates What changes in the work situation might account for the increase in productivity and the decrease in controllable rejects?
According to the article, the company had 10 workers that were responsible for assembling hot plates with the appropriate tools. Each person was responsible for assembling a part of the hotplate instead of the whole thing. One person would start the hotplate assembly, when they were finished they would pass it to the next, who would begin their part, etc. When the company decided to make each person responsible for an entire plate, productivity turned around. The reasons for this turn around are less wasted time and a feeling of completing something by the workers. If worker #2 is faster than worker # 1, he will be waiting on #1 to finish so he can get started on his next one. In addition, many people want to have the satisfaction of finishing a product, and when the product is “theirs,” they will take more pride in making sure it is done correctly. The worker said, “Now, this is my hotplate” because he is proud of the work he has accomplished. They now have a sense of ownership when it comes to the hotplate, instead of apiece part of it. “Empowering enables people to use their talents and capabilities, fosters accomplishment, invests in learning, finds the spirit in an organization and builds effective relationships, informs, leads, coaches, serves, creates and liberates” (Empowering Manager)
What might account for the drop in absenteeism and the increase in moral?
Going back to question 1, the reason for the increase in moral is the same reason the productivity increased. It is a sense of completion and satisfaction by the workers with the new assembly process. They feel like they are important to the company and they can now compete to see who produces the most and who produces the best product with rewards as an incentive to try to be the best. When you have a sense of completion, it makes you want to do the best
According to the article, the company had 10 workers that were responsible for assembling hot plates with the appropriate tools. Each person was responsible for assembling a part of the hotplate instead of the whole thing. One person would start the hotplate assembly, when they were finished they would pass it to the next, who would begin their part, etc. When the company decided to make each person responsible for an entire plate, productivity turned around. The reasons for this turn around are less wasted time and a feeling of completing something by the workers. If worker #2 is faster than worker # 1, he will be waiting on #1 to finish so he can get started on his next one. In addition, many people want to have the satisfaction of finishing a product, and when the product is “theirs,” they will take more pride in making sure it is done correctly. The worker said, “Now, this is my hotplate” because he is proud of the work he has accomplished. They now have a sense of ownership when it comes to the hotplate, instead of apiece part of it. “Empowering enables people to use their talents and capabilities, fosters accomplishment, invests in learning, finds the spirit in an organization and builds effective relationships, informs, leads, coaches, serves, creates and liberates” (Empowering Manager)
What might account for the drop in absenteeism and the increase in moral?
Going back to question 1, the reason for the increase in moral is the same reason the productivity increased. It is a sense of completion and satisfaction by the workers with the new assembly process. They feel like they are important to the company and they can now compete to see who produces the most and who produces the best product with rewards as an incentive to try to be the best. When you have a sense of completion, it makes you want to do the best
References: Stevenson, W., (2009). Operations management (10th ed.). New York : McGraw Hill/Irwin. The Empowering Manager Is…Briefcasebooks.com