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Case Study 3: - Restoring Productivity and Morale following Restructuring.
Project Summary
A well-known white goods manufacturing company had decided to restructure its organisation and wanted a way to restore productivity and morale in its workforce together with a way to re-build confidence in senior management.
The company manufactures a range of cookers and heaters at its Staffordshire factory and is in a very competitive market. The decision was taken to restructure the organisation by removing several intermediate layers of middle management and reduce the proportion of "indirect" staff, including chargehands and supervisors. The latter two groups were merged into one layer which would be more involved in direct operations and have much less supervisory function.
About 145 people were re-graded or appointed to this new "team leader" role. It was decided that a new job description was required and that the new team leaders would need some training and development to be devised and delivered by Carshaw. This would take the form of a programme of very interactive half-day training workshops in groups of up to 16 trainees.
It became apparent early in the programme that trainees were still fearful about the changes that had been happening at the factory, particularly in relation to job security and concerns about the future. There had been a strong undercurrent of mistrust and resentment in the workforce where a "them and us" situation was perceived by shopfloor people.
Result
During the delivery of the training workshops, the attitudes of Team Leaders gradually softened for most trainees as they appreciated the value of working together and helping each other within and between teams. Trainees rated their training programme very highly and were very appreciative of their trainers. In our view, one of the key factors in the success of the programme delivery was the sincerity of the trainers in showing great empathy with the trainees and demonstrating in practice the key messages of the training. Later, the team leaders' immediate managers were asked to rate the effects of the training on their trainees' various behaviour changes in relation to the programme objectives. Again, managers showed a very high level of satisfaction and agreed to instigate new team briefings and team meetings. These really began to improve communications, co-operation and working relationships across the whole factory.
Productivity and morale had both dipped during and immediately following the organisational changes at the factory; their team leader programme clearly contributed to winning over the hearts and minds of the workforce with a resulting upturn in both productivity and morale.
In order to maximise this effect, senior management decided to make development of its shopfloor and other people a higher priority and to structure this towards the Investors in People Award (which it later achieved). The Team Leader Development Programme devised and delivered by Carshaw received a "highly recommended" and a full regional award under the National Training Awards scheme. This programme continued for other newly-appointed team leaders on this site and at its sister factory near Bristol where it was equally well received.
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Carshaw Management & Quality Ltd 4 Hutchinson Close, Rugeley, Staffs WS15 2RG
England
Tel: 0044 (0)1889 584147 - Fax: 0044 (0)1889 585416
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