7 Habits Of A Highly Effective Manufacturing Culture
Inspired by the nimbleness of startups and the mindset of millennials, as well as the ongoing need to work smarter and faster, manufacturers increasingly view a shift to a less rigid environment as a means of attracting and retaining talent, improving problem-solving, gaining a competitive edge and propelling business growth.
There is growing consensus in the manufacturing community that it’s time for the traditional top-down culture to go the way of male-only executive suites. Inspired by the nimbleness of startups and the mindset of millennials, as well as the ongoing need to work smarter and faster, manufacturers increasingly view a shift to a less rigid environment as a means of attracting and retaining talent, improving problem-solving, gaining a competitive edge and propelling business growth.
The push for change is affecting companies of all sizes. In March, technology giant Samsung announced a culture shakeup intended to reverse sluggish sales and declining profits. “We aim to reform our internal culture, execute as quickly as a startup company, and push towards open communication and continuously innovate," the company told Reuters in a statement. One assumes that change will extend to the plant floor.
As analysts have noted, the ability of a conservative and highly hierarchical Korean organization like Samsung to create a flexible, collaborative manufacturing culture remains to be seen. But other companies have certainly succeeded and reaped the benefits.
One manufacturer that has taken this path is MBX Systems, a builder of custom computer servers enabling software developers to deliver performance-optimized business applications to end customers around the globe.
