How to deal with operators who fail to follow work instruction?

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#21
rose24m03 said:
Dealing with MFG folks who for whatever reasons don't follow procedures is easy. (1) Management needs to follow SOPs and set as an example. (2) Explaining why it is necessary to follow SOPs. No, it's not "You have to do it or else...". It's not "You have to do it or else we are out of compliance." Using position power doesn't help them understand why. If you explain the logics, they would be more willing to do the right thing. For example, taking a pH reading right after adding a 50kg of acidic buffer is not good, because it needs time to be mixed evenly or else you would end up either with more acidic/basic than you wanted it. Those errors can be corrected sometimes but not always. Throwing those hardwork (i.e. rejects) doesn't help you, doesn't help the department, doesn't help the company, and definitely doesn't help the customers.... Most of the time MFG technicians do want to know the WHYs. Unfortunately, many management and other departments usually look at the technicians as someone who have no college degrees and thus not worth their time to explain WHYs because those "I am so holy" labelled technicians as someone who are dumb. But seriously, isn't it better to do things right the first time? Fixing mistakes over and over again is quite costly.

The real challenge, I believe, is how to make design/R&D engineers follow procedures. :mad: It's like :mg: :nope: :argue: :topic: :bonk:
Overall, I have found that technicians care about product quality at least as much as engineering and management. Those technicians most certainly and primarily must, must must be explained why. The fact that they seem not to be hints to me that there is a sort of caste system at work in your organization. I also get this sense because you say the engineering groups eschew the established procedures.

Caste systems are dangerous because theory doesn't always match reality. The technican must be consulted because he or she may have a critical piece of input that stymies those degreed professionals. They are often intimately familiar with their machines, materials and processes.

Both of these goups can get overly comfortable and allow slop to enter that could compromise quality. For that we have system checks.

Management has the prerogative to insist that procedures are followed for product and service integrity. The entire system is responsible to ensure that happens efficiently and effectively; preferably with the aim of requiring fewer formalities as we go because things ar ebecoming so bullet-proof.
 
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Wes Bucey

Quite Involved in Discussions
#22
Interesting analogy - "caste system" seems to describe the situation in many organizations, especially between manager and worker, as well as between different workers.

A manager who wants to retain and exercise power ensures the caste system is alive and well among and between the workers because it prevents them from organizing and acting with one voice. "Divide and conquer" may be detestable, but it is effective for the wielder's personal power! (It does erode the organization, though!)
 

Caster

An Early Cover
Trusted Information Resource
#23
Now we're getting there!

Wes Bucey said:
Interesting analogy - "caste system" seems to describe the situation in many organizations, especially between manager and worker, as well as between different workers.

A manager who wants to retain and exercise power ensures the caste system is alive and well among and between the workers because it prevents them from organizing and acting with one voice. "Divide and conquer" may be detestable, but it is effective for the wielder's personal power! (It does erode the organization, though!)
Now I think we're getting closer to an answer to the original question.

Why don't operators follow work instructions?

Because the boss doesn't. I think it is just that simple.
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#24
Caster said:
Now I think we're getting closer to an answer to the original question.

Why don't operators follow work instructions?

Because the boss doesn't. I think it is just that simple.
Perhaps it is that simple. We do not know the original poster's situation, as the question was very brief. Its brevity was the reason why I made my article about it (it's in The Reading Room) so long and complex; the subject is complex, not at all so easy as all those snap diagnoses suggest.

Whacking people with "disciplinary measures"--which I placed I quotes because the actual term discipline doesn't really mean being punished and very few of us grow tall from being beaten down--is seldom the right answer.

However, it is sometimes the answer. Discovering when the subject requires a strong response and when a softer approach would work isn't easy. If it were easy, I suspect we would hardly ever have that CAR called "Failure to follow instructions."
 

Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#25
Jennifer Kirley said:
the actual term discipline doesn't really mean being punished
The dictionary is your friend:

Discipline:

NOUN: 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement. 2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control. 3a. Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order. b. A systematic method to obtain obedience: a military discipline. c. A state of order based on submission to rules and authority: a teacher who demanded discipline in the classroom. 4.Punishment intended to correct or train. 5. A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order. 6. A branch of knowledge or teaching.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
#26
This is something I've learned over the years. Anytime there is a lack of performance, it can be attributed to one of two things (or sometimes both, I suppose). There is either a lack of knowledge (Deficiency of Knowledge – DK), or a lack of execution (Deficiency of Execution – DE). Both of these need different responses. Training will address a DK situation, may only make a DE situation worse. Even with DE, you have to do a root cause analysis to determine why the execution failed. I’ve been trained in how to trim trees, but if I don’t have the equipment, or the time, or there is some other barrier, then the trees will not get trimmed. The causes of DE are varied, ranging from the individual’s laziness/malicious behavior, to technical and in many cases, management issues. Just beating up the employee may not be the proper response. Then again, it might be the proper solution.

When an employee fails to follow instructions, find out if it is DK or DE. If the answer is DE, be careful to uncover the true cause.
 
#27
Caster said:
Because the boss doesn't. I think it is just that simple.
It often is. There are other possible causes of course, but I'm betting that this one would be prominent in any pareto.

Contrary to popular belief, people usually obeys the boss: They will do what he tells them to do even if he is not saying things straight out or in so many words... Very often you find that the boss tells people that instructions are unimportant. Let's face it people, we have all seen it :

  • The boss disregards the instruction himself... I can do that. (you cannot - Yeah, right).
  • The boss orders you to skip an instruction "this time, because we are in a hurry".
  • The boss gives you an order that forces you to disobey him or the instruction. Guess what most people will do in that situation?
/Claes
 
S

sbickley

#28
Classic Problem

All,

Ask yourselves this question, "Is there value in an employee following a work instruction that is, for lack of better terminology, "wrong"?".

ABSOLUTELY - If everyone is following the work instruction, you have established a stable source of data with which to measure change, when and if you change/fix the deficient process!

The trick is communicating that effectively to your employees. We encourage our assemblers to follow the process, even if it is wrong, but also to initiate a corrective action so that it can be evaluated and if necessary corrected! Sometimes things seem "wrong" but are in place for reasons that are not so obvious to the person performing work. I could go on forever on this topic - good thread! :applause:

Scott
 

SteelMaiden

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#29
This has been an interesting thread. If I found one person who wasn't using work instructions and following them, I'd talk to him and his supervisor to figure out why. If I found lots of people ignoring the documented methods, I'd be asking the department owner/approver of that document why it wasn't being followed. That should tell me whether or not the documented instructions are current and appropriate.

There are a few people out there who will go out of their way to not follow instructions. I've seen it, I'm sure some of you have too. This is a management commitment issue. Management MUST decide whether it will allow one worker to ignore "the rules" while expecting everyone else to follow them. If management decides that the potential risk is not worth disciplinary action or dismissal, there isn't much you can do. But typically, what I have found is that the person is doing something because it makes more sense to do it differently than the work instructions/procedures state. That is why we should make sure to review our documentation to make sure it is current.
 
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