Sunday, August 1, 2010

A Story About Two Managers

The paper industry has always had a "spotty" record when it comes to safety. I don't really know why, but I suspect it is probably no different than most. You'll be going along with good safety performance and then hit a period of time with a lot of injuries. This is how two different managers handled it.

Manager One. After a rash of injuries, this manager called in an consultant and all the department heads for a long day meeting. They went through the causes of injuries and ways management could change to improve workforce performance.

Manager Two. Again after a rash of injuries, this manager called in all the department heads and announced that every mill supervisor would work 12 hour days, and give round the clock coverage for the next ten days. He reported that he would be checking on their progress from his vacation and if there were any injuries during that time, the long hours would continue until their was improvement (The Ole Sea Gull Management Style).

So, which one was better? Well, if you practice MBO (management by objectives), they both saw a reduction in injuries reported and got the results desired by the manager. Which brings to mind whether they were using the correct measurement to gage success?

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