Case Report: Building Engagement In Manufacturing
THE SITUATION
A family-owned manufacturer in the aerospace industry was ready to take the organization to the next level by bringing in a Chief Operating Officer who would set a new strategic direction and build the infrastructure for sustainable growth.
The COO's outsider perspective helped him quickly identify opportunity areas and he engaged his staff to build a comprehensive strategy. But driving change after the owners, who were beloved by employees, had stepped aside was a challenge.
OUR APPROACH
Improving frontline performance to boost on-time deliveries and reduce "turn-backs" (process failures where parts could not be made correctly the first time) was a key aspect of the new strategy. Bringing employees who were skeptical of change on board was the lynch pin to success. Somehow, the COO had to generate higher levels of employee engagement at work.
The company had a long relationship with a local non-profit workforce development organization that knew the company and employees well and had their trust. WORC collaborated with the company and their non-profit partner to leverage that trust with exploratory research that surfaced barriers to employee engagement.
WORC activated the scientific evidence base using the Job Quality Maps, developed for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and WORC, and identified frontline job characteristics that could be improved to build employee engagement at work. The robust body of evidence on engagement at work pointed to strong relationships between how supported employees feel and how engaged they are likely to be.
The COO's next step for implementing the new strategy was to identify the specific actions and measurables needed to bring the new strategy to life. Flowing them down to the frontline presented a perfect opportunity to engage frontline workers in a way that would convey and deliver real support from the organization and supervisors.
THE OUTCOME
The company is building support into the flow down process and collect data that will help the organization measure change quarterly. In addition to measuring engagement at work and perceived support, production quality metrics will be tracked in tandem to provide a view into end-stage outcomes from the effort.
