EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine April 2017 | Page 33

b . Minimize boundaries by encouraging people to work with others who can solve their problem. g . Measure everything from production and first pass quality to the time it takes to write and approve a purchase order or invoice. Involve process owners in suggesting improvements. c . Share information on vision, mission, values, objectives and actual performance. Charts and graphs need little explanation! Adopting a Total Quality philosophy is the first step in understanding the hidden costs within your business. It’s also the enabler that encourages an employee to take responsibility for what happens as well as what does not happen within their d process. By accepting responsibility, everyone has a stake in . Review (and mostly likely re-write) position profiles so that they define the position’s customers and suppliers and the type of information given or received. Define decision- making authority and responsibility. e . Establish a proactive training culture that includes soft f skills such as teamwork, conflict management, etc. . Celebrate success at every opportunity and eliminate the negative connotation of “failure” for failure is a necessary step in learning. People tend to avoid implementing an idea because of “fear of failure - no one wants to be labeled a failure!” the outcome. How do I know this works?, The plant that I once managed was recognized by Industry Week magazine as one of America’s Ten Best Plants. You can do it too! Joseph Roy, Principal, Starfish Consulting, has over 30 years of experience in manufacturing and supply-chain management with global consumer-products companies and a national retailer. He is a graduate of Norwich University with a master’s in adult education from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the University of New Haven. He taught supply-chain management at Arkansas State University and was the owner of a small company providing fragrance products to retail companies. He currently is the Principal at The Integrated Consumer Chain. He can be reached at [email protected]. APRIL 2017 | 35 |