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领英(Linkedin)中传来Dan Jones[1]的文章「将精益作为创造更好制品的战略[2]」。文末的几段正写出我的体验。
——李兆华老师
WHAT ABOUT MANAGEMENT?
This article has stressed the importance of building learning into our strategy to develop better products for our customers. But there is another important aspect of learning: if embraced, it fundamentally changes the way management manages. By building learning into the functions of management we are adding a powerful layer to the idea that problem solving is the key to developing a learning organization.
I actually think that problem solving is only part of the story. As Michael Ballé has pointed out many times, if you are solving the wrong problems you are wasting your time. The key challenge for management is finding the right problems to solve, which can only be done by going to the front line to understand how they struggle with today’s challenges. It’s all about problem finding and helping managers to learn how to unearth the underlying issues they are currently not seeing.
I have recently experienced this as I was walking with senior managers on the shop floor of a car factory. Their initial problem statement – before going to the gemba – was that their costs were too high and they had to reduce them to stay competitive. After going to the gemba, hearing the Toyota story and talking to people at the front line, however, they had an epiphany. When I asked the senior execs again what their biggest problem was, they told me, “Quite clearly, it is us.” People at the front line had been asked to work with broken systems commissioned by management. Does this sound familiar?
This sort of realization can be very profound for senior managers. It has the power to start a different journey into finding and framing the next steps to tackle the real challenges the company is facing. Critically, it creates a link between problem solving on the shop floor, designing better products and making learning the core of the organization’s strategy.
管理又是如何呢?
这篇文章强调了在策略中内建「学习」,为顾客开发出更好制品的重要性。但「学习」另有一个重要的面向:如果我们紧抱它,它将根本的改变管理层的管理方法。当内建「学习」于管理机能时,将更加强固「解决问题是发展学习型组织关键的想法」。
实际上,我认为解决问题也只是一部分的故事。如Michael BAllé曾多次指出的,如果你只是解决错误的问题,将完全浪费你的时间。对管理层的挑战是找到要解决的正确问题,而这只能到第一线去,了解他们如何争斗于今天的挑战。重点在于找到问题,与帮助管理者学习如何挖掘目前看不到,底层的课题。
我最近与汽车厂的高阶管理者现场观察时,也有了类似的体验。去现场之前,所陈述的问题是他们的成本太高,必须降低成本以维持竞争力。去了现场之后,听到了丰田的做法,并与前线的人们谈话之后,他们有了新的顿悟。当我再问他们「什么是最大的问题?」他们告诉我「非常明显,就是我们!」现场的人们被要求在我们凌乱的管理系统下工作。这不是很熟悉的说法?
这种高阶管理者们非常深刻的体认,让我们可以迈向另一发现与框定下一步的途径,以便处理公司所面对的真正挑战。重要的是,它建构了在现场解决问题、设计更好的制品,与让「学习」成为组织核心间的链接。
两周前我在桂林与管理者们作现场观察时,无意中发现边上的作业者紧张地作业。一问之下是新人,再一问,原来该困难作业的熟手离职了,新人就抵熟手的位置。新人为何不是先作比较简单的作业(新人工程)呢?因为其他资深的人不会这作业,所以新人抵此作业。至此发现了问题吗?
为何最不熟练的新人要从困难工程开始学习呢?因此不是会让新人充满挫折感吗?
为何其他资深人员不会做该困难作业呢?平时的多能工训练呢?
一样不会作业,为何不是由资深人员学习该困难作业呢?
至此,让我联想到以下常听到的话题:
当初一起开疆辟土的资深人员赶不上目前公司的需求。
现在招进来的高专人员学习快,将迅速独当一面。
将以上的5个说法连在一起,就是说:「新人学习快,资深人员学习慢,赶不上公司的需求。」若不做任何改变,目前的新人将成为未来的资深人员,又将重蹈覆辙。
综合Daniel T Jones的论述:
1、高阶管理者到第一线观察的目的是找到问题,学习如何挖掘目前看不到,底层的课题。才能了解其制订的管理系统是否有效。
2、「学习」成为组织核心要成为公司的战略的意义,在于有具体的行动计划,而非顺其自然。
3、在公司的学习、成长曲线上,安全区中,随着年资的成长,资深者能力、收入也节节上升,并成为后辈的榜样。公司的业绩也将因此而水涨船高
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感谢冠卓咨询老师对项目组的全程辅导,通过做项目我们学会了如何用系统科学的方法分析研究问题;开阔了我们的视野并让我们的管理人员明白了团队协作的重要性。
——北京某电器公司