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.
Ida Byrd-Hill is a futurist, economist and CEO of Automation Workz, a cybersecurity reskilling and diversity consulting firm. She is author of Invisible Talent Market, a Black Labor Economics History book. She holds an MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University, with a specialization in People Management/Strategy and a BA Economics from the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. Byrd-Hill has appeared in Associated Press, BBC, Crain’s Business Detroit, CW Street Beat, Cybercrime Magazine, Daytime NBC, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Essence Magazine, Good Morning America, Let It Rip, Michigan Chronicle, Model D, NPR, PBS, and X-conomy. www.autoworkz.org/diverse-lens
