Talk about expensive mishaps...

#1
SAN JOSE said:
-- A $239 million satellite toppled to a factory floor last year because nobody bothered to check
that it was secure before moving it, according to a NASA investigation board's report on the mishap.
The estimated cost for repair is a staggering $135 million :mg: I can imagine the commotion, and as can be expected, some corrective actions are being taken (it would seem that procedures were not followed). More info here.

I find it noteworthy that this mishap made the headlines because of the hideous cost, while numerous less expensive ones are being brushed aside daily, as being quite normal... But wait a minute: All those less expensive mishaps bunched together are also costing us dearly, aren't they?

Thoughts / comments?

/Claes
 
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C

Charmed

#2
More than procedures

Dear Claes:

According to the article, investigators were especially critical of the Lockheed Martin operations team for its "lack of discipline in following procedures," a problem that evolved from "complacent attitudes toward routine spacecraft handling, poor communication and coordination."

It is not just a matter of "procedure". It is a question of leadership, discipline, attitudes, etc. The "procedures" are in place. Nobody follows them. Like somebody said, "Guns don't kill, people do."

Of course, I am not advocating a couple guns in each hand since guns don't kill. What we need is an "overhaul" of the work ethic in general.

In another related article I remember reading that worker morale is at its lowest in 20 years, especially in the automotive industry (in the Metro Detroit area, I will post more details later- it appeared in a publication by Crain Communications weekly magazine, about 2 or 3 weeks ago).
 
#3
Charmed said:
It is not just a matter of "procedure". It is a question of leadership, discipline, attitudes, etc. The "procedures" are in place. Nobody follows them.
My point exactly... What we need to discuss is why procedures are not followed.

/Claes
 
C

Charmed

#4
Boosting employee morale

Here's some discussion on employee morale. I still have not found the article that I was referring to.

http ://www .bnet com/abstract.aspx?scid=1525&docid=61404 - OBSOLETE DEAD LINK UNLINKED

An individualized approach to communication, career development, and management is the key to harnessing employees’ energy when their productivity is more crucial than ever. However, as cost cutting and downsizing plague corporate America, managers are increasingly seeking the equivalent of a sustained surge of strength among their employees. This article provides guidelines for executives and managers seeking a personalized approach to building morale and driving heightened performance during downtimes. Some of these are: Immediately engage senior managers, offer reassurance and spark improved performance through tailored communications, remain involved and available etc. These have been discussed in detail in the article.

http: //www. workforce. com/tools/newsletters/wfw/workforce_week_040629upload.htm - OBSOLETE DEAD LINK UNLINKED

“We did brainstorming with all workers as to why performance is getting worse. From the shop floor to the supervisory level, the most common answer is that they are not rewarded enough for their performance. Human resources is more like a policeman, bad performers are not punished, and good achievers are never rewarded accordingly. What can be done about this?”
 
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C

Charmed

#5
Accidents and Engaged Employees

Dear Covers:

Survey: Many workers tuning out on the job

The above article on employee morale, mentioned earlier in this thread, appeared in Crain's Detroit Business (September 13-19, 2004 issue), front page story by Amy Lane. Since it is not available online, I have summarized some main points below.

This is the first-of-its kind survey on employee attitudes conducted by Gallup Organization's Southfield, Michigan office, in August 2004. The figures are:

Metro Detroit: Not Engaged 52%, Actively Disengaged 15%
U. S. Average: Not Engaged 54%, Actively Disengaged 16%
Auto Industry: Not Engaged 56%, Actively Disengaged 29%

The U. S. Average is actually higher than for Metro Detroit. Engaged employees

- are passionate about their work
- are connected to the company and move it forward
- are more productive
- are absent less
- have fewer accidents
- are likely to stay longer with the company.

Knowledge of work expectations was one of the 12 questions asked. Others included the following:

1. Does someone at work encourage their development, or has talked to them about their progress.
2. Are there opportunities to learn and grow.
3. Do your opinions count.
4. Do fellow workers or supervisor care about you as a person.
5. Do fellow workers show commitment to quality work.
6. Does company's mission make you feel your job is important.

The extent of discontent is also reflected in other attitudes. The likelihood of Detroiters recommending their city as a place to live is 24%, last among 11 cities included in the study.

The expensive mishaps and many other not so expensive mishaps, noted by Claes, that do not capture headlines, IMHO must be due to this "tuning out" of the labor force.

Charmed
 

lindal

Involved In Discussions
#6
Claes Gefvenberg said:
My point exactly... What we need to discuss is why procedures are not followed.

/Claes

I think in large institutions/ company, there is a tendency to assume that someone else did the action in the procedure or that the process is redundant enough that the "someone" will catch any screw-ups. I know that when I worked for a large company in the 90's, there always seemed to be a couple of in-process inspectors who would pass questionable things because, "QA would catch it down the line". What a mess!

It's comparable to the "Somebody Else's Problem" field in Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galazy series. No one on the cricket green (in the book) notices the enormous spaceship that looks like an Italian restaurant because the SEP field acts on people's eagerness do dismiss things as someone else's problem.

But if we change "problem" to "responsibility" I think we strike closer to the actual situation.

I think that this doesn't happen as much in smaller companies because there is no one else.

-L
 
#7
Linda LaVine said:
I think in large institutions/ company, there is a tendency to assume that someone else did the action in the procedure or that the process is redundant enough that the "someone" will catch any screw-ups.
Good point and surely part of the problem. Redundancy can be both good and bad, and in this respect it obviously belongs to the latter category. Responsibility and communication... Keeping it simple is still a good idea.

This also connects with what I was on about in the first post in this thread: How important it is not to disregard the less expensive mishaps. Combined they are every bit as expensive as one or several "big deals", and they frequently pave the way for worse things to happen.

Linda LaVine said:
It's comparable to the "Somebody Else's Problem" field in Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galazy series.
:topic: Another Sci Fi fan? :bigwave: You may want to have a look in SciFi discussion & What do you read?

/Claes
 
J

Jim Howe

#9
Charmed said:
Dear Covers:

Survey: Many workers tuning out on the job

The above article on employee morale, mentioned earlier in this thread, appeared in Crain's Detroit Business (September 13-19, 2004 issue), front page story by Amy Lane. Since it is not available online, I have summarized some main points below.

This is the first-of-its kind survey on employee attitudes conducted by Gallup Organization's Southfield, Michigan office, in August 2004. The figures are:

Metro Detroit: Not Engaged 52%, Actively Disengaged 15%
U. S. Average: Not Engaged 54%, Actively Disengaged 16%
Auto Industry: Not Engaged 56%, Actively Disengaged 29%

The U. S. Average is actually higher than for Metro Detroit. Engaged employees

- are passionate about their work
- are connected to the company and move it forward
- are more productive
- are absent less
- have fewer accidents
- are likely to stay longer with the company.

Knowledge of work expectations was one of the 12 questions asked. Others included the following:

1. Does someone at work encourage their development, or has talked to them about their progress.
2. Are there opportunities to learn and grow.
3. Do your opinions count.
4. Do fellow workers or supervisor care about you as a person.
5. Do fellow workers show commitment to quality work.
6. Does company's mission make you feel your job is important.

The extent of discontent is also reflected in other attitudes. The likelihood of Detroiters recommending their city as a place to live is 24%, last among 11 cities included in the study.

The expensive mishaps and many other not so expensive mishaps, noted by Claes, that do not capture headlines, IMHO must be due to this "tuning out" of the labor force.

Charmed
If I am reading this correctly the report is saying that in the auto industry a mere 15% (56+29=85% not engaged) of the workers are:

- are passionate about their work
- are connected to the company and move it forward
- are more productive
- are absent less
- have fewer accidents
- are likely to stay longer with the company.


I am sorry I can't buy into that! where did these facts come from? How many workers were surveyed? With only 15% of the workers engaged in their work the auto industry, IMO, would be in CHAOS!

Then again, maybe this why my new car cost so much and breaks down so often. :bonk:
 
C

Charmed

#10
I am sorry too

Jim Howe said:
If I am reading this correctly the report is saying that in the auto industry a mere 15% (56+29=85% not engaged) of the workers are:

- are passionate about their work
- are connected to the company and move it forward
- are more productive
- are absent less
- have fewer accidents
- are likely to stay longer with the company.


I am sorry I can't buy into that! where did these facts come from? How many workers were surveyed? With only 15% of the workers engaged in their work the auto industry, IMO, would be in CHAOS!

Then again, maybe this why my new car cost so much and breaks down so often. :bonk:
Dear Jim:

Yes, I am very sorry too. I have worked in the automotive industry (that's how I got to being in Michigan) and find it unbelievable. They surveyed a little more than 1000 in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties with the largest automotive employment levels in Metro Detroit. Actually, it is not the cost of the cars - on a per pound basis cars are cheaper than many of the prescription drugs - but the quality of the cars that comes to mind. If product quality is increasing (as revealed by many surveys) and is productivity is increasing (as also revealed by many surveys), this is hard to reconcile.

But, note that the U. S. average is worse than for Metro Detroit taken as a whole (automotive and nonautomotive). For the U. S. it is 20% engaged, i.e, 80% are either not engaged or actively disengaged. For Metro Detroit it is 23% engaged. I have summarized the main points here. There is not that much more in the original Crain Detroit Business article.
 
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