Why Do Some Departments Just Perform Better?
Why do some departments perform better? When you walk around to the different departments within your manufacturing plant or your business area, do you get a more positive vibe when you walk through some departments? Do those same departments consistently perform better too? If you notice these differences from department-to-department, it's because the high performing departments are led by supervisors who do these activities well:
- They have a long list of action plans that drive the continuous improvement trends in their department and they hold on to them like a Pitbull until each action item is complete.
- These high performing departments are led by supervisors who know how to navigate the organization to get things done. Most supervisors have action items and continuous improvement ideas, but many supervisors do not know how to partner with the resources that are required to move the ball forward. Rarely is a department totally self-sufficient but good supervisors know how to navigate the waters and get the support that they need. Its all about partnering.
- High performing departments are led by supervisors who ask the organization for things, things like software, equipment, staffing, project time, coaching, and training. These leaders have high expectations of themselves, their team and their company. These supervisors don’t give up on their requests. They may move them to the back burner occasionally, but they don’t drop their requests.
- These supervisors actively managing employee performance. They have a few people who are in the corrective action process and not just for attendance. They observe the performance of their employees and address the issues. On the other side, they commend their strong employees both formally and informally and team celebrations are baked into their formula for success.
- These high performing supervisors rally the team around the department goals. They are not lone rangers. They have the goals that were assigned to them and they also have their own high expectations. But they don’t run their marathon alone, they rally their team to run with them. Everyone on their team knows the goals and expectations and they strive as a team to accomplish them. You’ll notice that the individuals on these teams are looking at the metric boards whenever new information is posted.
Do you know that all five of these behaviors can be taught? The training sessions required are
- How to effectively manage action plans
- How to form workplace partnerships
- How to make business proposals
- How to manage employee performance
- How to engage employees.
Performance variability amongst departments isn't random. There are assignable causes why some departments don't perform as well and it comes down to leadership and did you know that leadership can be taught. Supervisor training has an impressive ROI.
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