Manufacturing

Building Teams at Procter & Gamble

Organization – Procter & Gamble labor relations | Baltimore

Issue – Adversarial conditions between management and non-management employees, where there existed a history of the I-win/You-lose mentality. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind upon entering our plant for the first time just who was management or non-management. The separation was mainly built upon the high degree of mistrust that had grown over the years.

Outcome – From the labor union president:

“After The Human Element, it was as if a whole new world suddenly entered our plant. People were actually discussing and recognizing issues for what they actually were and attempting to resolve versus argue.”

“The Human Element was the catalyst that enabled our plant to negotiate and ratify a completely new high performance work system at Baltimore. This was accomplished in spite of the fact that we were in the middle year of our then current contract. This unprecedented amendment broke down many barriers of the work system. Both the union and plant leadership attribute the success of the negotiations and passing of the agreement to The Human Element workshop. It made it possible to put aside the games and hyperbole that used to be so commonplace.”

Process – The Human Element course was attended by the union leadership and plant management and staff.

Consultant – Don White, Licensed Human Element Practitioner

Country – U.S.A. 

Manufacturing Plant Goes From Worst to Best in Division

Organization – James River Corporation, a Fortune 200 Paper & Packaging Manufacturing Company

Issue – This manufacturing site was last in every key performance indicator — safety, quality, productivity, cost reduction, and earnings. If it could not be turned around it was most likely going to be shut down. Directly contributing to low performance was misaligned leadership and a non-collaborative culture built on confrontation.

Outcome – In less than 18-months the site went from last to first in every area:

• Sales: 17% increase
• Safety: 92% reduction
• Quality: 25% improvement
• Productivity: Up by 25%
• Costs: Decreased by 12%
• Profit: 11% increase; the facility became the most profitable plant in the division.

Process – A Powered by The Human Element® methodology was applied gradually to the leadership team and the plant employees, including two different labor unions. The Human Element® was used to introduce and utilize key aspects of leadership development, concordance decision-making and to create a culture of openness and personal accountability.

Consultant/Company – Russ Salzer, Licensed Human Element Practitioner, Owner, 3YG

Country – U.S.A.

Aligned & Innovative: Auto Supplier Doubles Revenue 

Organization – An employee owned, market-leading provider of protective coatings for the automotive industry.

Issue – Due to increased competition in the marketplace and product pricing pressure, the company’s leadership needed to come to agreement and alignment on its brand intention, vision, and strategic direction.

Outcome – Over a period of four years the company doubled its revenue to over $75 million. This included a growth rate of 44% in income for the last two of those years. In that period of time, it transitioned to become a 100% employee-owned company. It was named one of the best places to work in its region, was twice recognized for its success as one of the nation’s best employee-owned corporations, twice received The National Center for Employee Ownership’s “Innovation Award”, and was voted one of the Top 50 small companies by INC Magazine.

Process – Over the course of a year, the entire company went through a meticulous, multi-step True Alignment® process, including strategic planning and alignment, consulting, coaching, and on site leadership workshops. The process started with the leadership team undertaking a strategic planning process focused on the alignment of vision, brand intention, and culture. The resulting strategy was cascaded through all levels of management and sales. For the entirety of the one-year alignment project, on an as-needed basis, the CEO and executives were provided with coaching support.

Consultant/Company – Edgar Papke, Creator of True Alignment, and The True Alignment Company

Country – U.S.A.