🚀 go-pugleaf

In support of Robert Burns' comments:
Management's actions sometimes support the "illusion of improvement".
This is intended to show the workers that management is committed.Two
local examples that I have observed:

*A local company set up a team to study the location of a new dumpster as
long as it wasn't located outside the plant manager's office window.
*Another company used a team to study the effectiveness of the teams.
Such actions may actually damage the acceptance of employee involvement.

Another company initiated a suggestion system after I conducted for
management and employees.The enthusiam of the workers overwhelmed the
management system to evaluate and respond to the suggestions.After one
person submitted eight ideas in one week and receiving no responses, she
made no further comments.

Workers are quite smart when it comes to common sense.They are very
perceptive of what is honest and fair.The "illusion of quality" may be
present in numerous organizations in various forms.

Have Frito-Lay supervisors been trained to understand and help people
improve?Do they understand the need for new knowledge to help solve
today's problems?Does management provide the resources for this to take
place?

Regards,
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JOHN L. ELLIS
North Carolina Quality Center           E-mail: ellisj@mercury.interpath.net
2550 Highway 70 SE                      AOL:  deminglike@aol.com
Hickory, NC28602                          Phone:  704-327-7000    FAX 327-7276
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On Fri, 17 Jun 1994, Daniel Ritsma wrote:

>
>       I feel that I have to answer Earl Harrington's description of
>       fear at Frito-Lay.  First, an introduction.  My name is Robert
>       Burns and I'm an environmental engineer at EPA Region IV in
>       Atlanta, Georgia.  I'm also a MBA student at Georgia State
>       University majoring in management.  Don't hold that against me.
>
>       I'm currently involved in a major streamlining effort at EPA that
>       purports to include employee involvement.  Unfortunately, the
>       employees have been so un-involved (or is it de-involved?), they
>       are horribly cynical about their contributions being taken
>       seriously.  Yet, when staff was asked to contribute to a
>       reorganization plan, they submitted their plans, hoping that this
>       time, management was being honest about taking input seriously.
>       Management screwed up again, writing their own plan and declaring
>       it to be superior.  To say the least, many employees will not
>       contribute to further efforts to improve their work environment.
>
>       I'm challenging Mr. Harrington's premise that "simply by asking
>       they will feel good and like they have a say in the big picture
>       and even if you don't like what they say or if you don't use
>       their suggestion at least they can say they got to voice their
>       opinion and feel important."  It's not that simple.  If you keep
>       asking and then ignoring, you will certainly alienate those who
>       contribute.  Managers must give feedback on the ideas so that
>       they are clearly communicating with their workers.  Otherwise, it
>       looks like they aren't listening...
>
>       My colleague in the next office over is a Frito-Lay management
>       veteran (or is it refugee?) from the Charlotte plant.  He would
>       like to know what Earl thinks of fear in the workplace when you
>       return to Catawba in the fall.  So would I.  Any other thoughts?
>
>       ********************************************************
>       Robert D. Burns, Environmental Engineer
>       Water Management Division
>       EPA Region IV - Atlanta, Georgia USA
>       Internet: burns.robert@epamail.epa.gov
>                   yrr@nccibm1.bitnet.com
>       ********************************************************
>