Communication in your Facility - Is there a Communication Policy?

ScottK · Sep 7, 2006

I'm tempted to write one because one of my guys... my Document Control/Technical writer/Safety guy... was told by the Maintenance Supervisor that he's not allowed to to talk to him without his boss's (plant manager) permission. Of course I was out on that day and could not address immediatly. So my guy went to my boss and the president.

This was when my guy was trying to help the maintenance guy document a work instruction.

There is some history here... my guy and the plant manager have never got along and pretty much hate each other but, darn it, that's just plain unprofessional of the plant mangler and is is an overt roadblock to what I'm trying to accomplish.

IMO - QA, QC, and safety people should be able to talk to anyone as long as they are not disrupting the person's work. What do you think?

Jim Wynne · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Discordian said:
I'm tempted to write one because one of my guys... my Document Control/Technical writer/Safety guy... was told by the Maintenance Supervisor that he's not allowed to to talk to him without his boss's (plant manager) permission. Of course I was out on that day and could not address immediatly. So my guy went to my boss and the president.

This was when my guy was trying to help the maintenance guy document a work instruction.

There is some history here... my guy and the plant manager have never got along and pretty much hate each other but, darn it, that's just plain unprofessional of the plant mangler and is is an overt roadblock to what I'm trying to accomplish.

IMO - QA, QC, and safety people should be able to talk to anyone as long as they are not disrupting the person's work. What do you think?

Restrictions on who may talk to whom are a sure sign that there's a micromanager controlling things, and a sure sign that someone wants to make sure that the correct lies get told. You might be able to override the practice by means of a written policy, but you probably won't be able to affect the underlying problem, which would require a personality transplant for the offending manager.

Ajit Basrur · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

These are some of the examples of the classic "love - hate" relationships which exist between some individuals in any organisation. But I have never heard someone saying that he is not allowed to talk without "permission".

This has to be managed carefully, not technically but emotionally.

ScottK · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Jim Wynne said:
Restrictions on who may talk to whom are a sure sign that there's a micromanager controlling things, and a sure sign that someone wants to make sure that the correct lies get told. You might be able to override the practice by means of a written policy, but you probably won't be able to affect the underlying problem, which would require a personality transplant for the offending manager.

I'd be all for a personality transplant, as would most of the company as he rules by intimidation, but this guy has been here since day one and has ingratiated himself so deeply with the owner that he used to baby sit for him and does repairs at his home. I'm being objective here. These are facts.

In this particular instance I believe it's not so much micromanaging but fear that what I am doing will remove the magic from what he does and he gradually won't be so special.
And, in fact, that is exactly what I'm doing by documenting his processes that have never been documented before.
I'm the Connecticut yankee taking away Merlin's powers.

ScottK · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Qualityalways said:
These are some of the examples of the classic "love - hate" relationships which exist between some individuals in any organisation. But I have never heard someone saying that he is not allowed to talk without "permission".

This has to be managed carefully, not technically but emotionally.

I have seen it before, unfortunately. And usually the person making that statement gets a sound beating (or counseling depending on the culture of the company

)

Randy · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Are you currently operating under a management system like 9K, 14K or something like that?

Is the need to communicate relevant to effective management and achieving the goals of the system?

If both are true then the manager in question is essentially working against the system and the organization and is contributing to a lack of communication which could be nonconforming unless the "communication" aspect of your system is really bogus and your then back to a nonconforming situation because of a lack of an effective communication process.

Either the above or he's just another typical horse's butt wannabe.

ScottK · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Randy said:
Are you currently operating under a management system like 9K, 14K or something like that?

Is the need to communicate relevant to effective management and achieving the goals of the system?

If both are true then the manager in question is essentially working against the system and the organization and is contributing to a lack of communication which could be nonconforming unless the "communication" aspect of your system is really bogus and your then back to a nonconforming situation because of a lack of an effective communication process.

Either the above or he's just another typical horse's butt wannabe.

We are building a 9k system.
Next week I am doing company-wide CAPA training for the system I developed. After that is done I can write this kind of action up as a nonconformance. And I will.
But for now I can only make my opinion on the subject known to the execs and let the plant mangler know that if he has a problem with one of my people he should be talking to me about it.

Jim Wynne · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Discordian said:
We are building a 9k system.
Next week I am doing company-wide CAPA training for the system I developed. After that is done I can write this kind of action up as a nonconformance. And I will.
But for now I can only make my opinion on the subject known to the execs and let the plant mangler know that if he has a problem with one of my people he should be talking to me about it.

Ask for a meeting in the Bronx and use the attachment as your invitation.

ScottK · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Jim Wynne said:
Ask for a meeting in the Bronx and use the attachment as your invitation.

Da Bronx?
Who needs da Bronx when you live in Joisey. :biglaugh:

Jim Wynne · Sep 7, 2006

Re: Communication in your facility. Is there a policy?

Discordian said:
Da Bronx?
Who needs da Bronx when you live in Joisey.

Joisey is where you go after the meeting.

Communication in your Facility - Is there a Communication Policy?

ScottK

Not out of the crisis

Jim Wynne

Ajit Basrur

ScottK

Not out of the crisis

ScottK

Not out of the crisis

Randy

ScottK

Not out of the crisis

Jim Wynne

Attachments

ScottK

Not out of the crisis

Jim Wynne

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