Technology Doesn’t Replace Leadership

November 22, 2011

Recently I spent an afternoon talking with my grandfather about his more than forty years’ experience as a plant manager. I was interested in discovering his process of solving problems before large Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) systems existed to help manufacturing plant operations.

To solve problems, he started by gathering the plant’s thought leaders and section managers, and asked them to make a list of their current problems. Removing the problems that were outside of the team’s control, my grandfather would then encourage the leaders to narrow their list to the top five critical issues. He broke the leaders into five different groups, and gave each group the afternoon to solve the problem. At the end of the day, one person from each group presented the solution, and took ownership of executing the solution. This process helped to provide solutions to large plant problems, but also allowed for communication of the problem from the floor to management.

Today, there are better technologies and processes available to help plant managers and leaders understand the various problems in their plant. EAM systems and reliability software aid in creating visibility of bad actors, managing recommendations, understanding asset work history and many other important data points to help foresee and prevent problems. Technology has enabled today’s thought leaders to strategize on multiple problems in a matter of hours rather than days.

Despite today’s enabling technologies, effective communication and strong plant leadership is still an essential part of the problem-solving process today. Reliability and EAM systems facilitate greater success, but these tools are only as powerful as the people they enable. They shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for the processes and people who make a successful plant work. Leaders are needed to stand up and take ownership of solutions, processes, and strategies. At every level of the plant, from an operator knowing every hum of a machine to a vice president strategizing for results, leaders are vital. The link that keeps leaders informed and empowered is constant communication. Communication is the key to understanding the expectations, direction, and goal of every employee as well as the organization as a whole.

Tip provided by: Kelly Miller, Customer Success Specialist, Meridium