by Jesus P. Mercado, Jr.
The following are the key understanding and ideas about empowerment which Stanfilco resolves to adopt and learn to practice.
I Stanfilco's resolve and general guidelines to Empowerment.
Our General Councilor, Mario Morillo, clearly stated the new initiative during the yearend meeting, on January 23, 1993, to quote:
"We have taken many quality initiatives in the direction of continuous improvement. One of the new efforts I wish to highlight is Empowerment.
"Our objective is to strive for continuous improvement by focusing on our customers requirements and related processes, through the empowerment of employees.
"The better ideas for process improvement come from those who are closest to the process. Which is why we will empower our employees to make changes.
"In order for our people to become more actively involved and confident in this system, in order to get the most innovative and creative solutions to process issues, we managers must be willing to release our traditional thoughts of power over employees.
"We must realize that the employee is the expert with his or her process, and may have the first or best idea. We must realize that managers do not know everything. Moreover, via, managers do not need to know everything.
The message: Managers must empower their people.
II The Definition of Empowerment.
A. Webster defines "to empower" as "to give power or authority to"; "to authorize."
B. WHO empowers: In Stanfilco, every manager empowers or will have to empower in the new direction. He is going to manage and lead his team as its leader, coach, consultant, facilitator, educator, trainor, and motivator.
He is going to relinquish the traditional role of supervisor, i.e., seeing to it that people do correct work, the policeman role.
C. WHOM the manager empowers: His/her subordinates or employees.
D . WHAT the manager empowers his employees to do:
1. Employees are empowered "to do right things right the first time and all the time" in their main area of responsibility;
2. Employees are empowered to change their work process for continuous improvement;
3. Employees are empowered to be responsible to satisfy their respective internal and external customers; and
4. IN PRACTICE: Employees are empowered into three activities:
a. Employees are empowered to organize themselves in teams in the best way they think to satisfy their internal and external customers;
b. During their regular work process, employees working in teams are empowered to correct errors or defects discovered that will cause customer dissatisfaction (internal or external customers);
c. For the continuous improvement of their work process, employees, working in teams, are empowered to initiate studies to recommend breakthrough changes with universal application to improve quality, productivity, and efficiency, and for cost reduction.
III Guidelines to an Effective and Successful Empowerment.
A. The people make the difference. The difference is a function of their educational and training level. Empowerment is only as good as the people being empowered. Good people make good performance; better people, better performance; best people, best performance. Bad performance is due to untrained and unskilled people --- all things being equal. Hence, the relevance of the "Dream Team" to Empowerment.
B. Because of the people difference, the potent tool for a successful empowerment Is education and training and that every individual experience is going to grow mature in time --- the faster, the better.
C. What the people or employees must know, understand, and be convinced of and committed to:
1. Everyone must learn the following by heart:
a. Company philosophy;
b. Company vision;
c. Company mission statement;
d. Company five-year plan;
e. Stanfilco quality policy;
f. Current goals and objectives; and
g. Stanfilco quality values.
2. Everyone must learn to work as a team ---
a. How to participate in team meetings;
b. How to communicate;
c. How to brainstorm;
d . How to conduct effective discussion;
e. Parliamentary rules;
f How to get consensus;
g. How to respect the minority; and
h. How to evaluate themselves for continuous improvement.
3. Everyone must learn the TQM Improvement process, the Plan/Do/Check/Act (PDCA) process, and know customers' needs,requirements, and quality specs.
4. The team must learn the tools to effectively think for continuous improvement --- the Statistical Process Control (SPC) tools.
5. Everyone must now learn to THINK. Employees or workers must not only be DOERS but must also be THINKERS. Each one is empowered to challenge current procedures and do some improvement everyday.
D. What the managers themselves will have to learn and change:
1. Teams are only as good as their leaders, managers, or coaches.
2. Managers must be best leaders and coaches for best teams.
3. Managers must learn by themselves:
a. effective leadership styles;
b. techniques of effective coaching; abd
c. facilitating skills, for employees' education and training.
IV Empowerment and Self-Control
A. The risk management: In Empowerment, managers allow their employees to make mistakes in their decision-making. In fact, employees are urged not to be afraid to commit and admit mistakes.
B. However, mistakes must be prevented as much as possible. The controls are:
1. Easy flow of information available to the employees;
2. Measured and "scoreboards" for performance are transparent and fully communicated.
3. Communication is open to all employees vertically and horizontally. Employees can seek information or pieces of advice, from all company experts;
4. All operating units are transparent to all employees;
5. Mistakes are acknowledged, and documented for use to prevent problems in the future; and
6. "Perfect practice makes perfect," whether for technical skill or critical thinking or for mutual trust.
V The Climate and Working Environment.
The most important role of management is to provide a good climate and safe working environment:
A. Working areas are very clean and relatively comfortable for quality and efficient work;
B. The working environment is friendly and conducive to teamwork and cooperation; and
C. Good performance is recognized and awarded promptly.
VI The Process of Developing Empowerment.
Like the artists or chess players, managers and employees develop the skills of empowerment through gradual experience. We develop ourselves in similar manner:
1993: Level I Experience:
Initiation, trial and error, and Grade I training. Errors in practice are likely to happen.
1994: Level 11 Experience:
Grade 11 training, with some order and attempt for common language and standardization. Less errors are seen.
1995: Level III Experience:
Managers and employees come to feel at home with Empowerment. Errors are minimal.
1996: Level IV Experience:
Teams are now manifesting greater maturity in handling continuous improvement and are sharing amazing performance. Improvement signs are more visible than errors. Errors are not considered.
1997:
NOTE: Stanfilco has many operating units and teams. Some teams will learn from the others depending on the interest of their senior managers and the employees. Some teams may jump to next maturity level earlier than expected.
VI Why Empower?
When Stanfilco resolves to implement the Total Quality Approach, Stanfilco must necessarily adopt to practice empowerment. The concept of "Totality" for "Total Quality" is that everyone in the organization must be involved and responsible for quality. Everyone cannot be involved or be held responsible unless each one is empowered. Empowerment in the organization is the key evidence of Total Quality in action. This is the Dole Number One Program in progress.
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