Question for Operations / Manufacturing Types

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snowcraig2.0

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Nov 2, 2007
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Which guy do you want on your team?

A - Individual can make 100 widgets in given time frame, while only giving 50% effort, resulting in more output, but also some bad behaviors.

B - Individual can make 90 widgets in same time frame, while giving near 100% effort, resulting in less output, but great behaviors.

Thoughts?
 

dtISU

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Nov 17, 2010
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I thought school was out for the year. More tests?

I'll go with B. Bad behaviors can bleed over into bigger problems.
 

acqflisu

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Apr 20, 2006
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Behaviors are contagious and the primary source of improving a culture. Productivity can be improved with good behaviors, attitudes, training and standard work.
 

VTXCyRyD

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Sep 2, 2010
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You choose A and up their requirement to 200 widgets per time frame, and then fire B for improved efficiency.
 

CycloneErik

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There is definitely a correlation.

Unless the max effort guy stinks at the job. Then it's just mass production of trash.

This whole question is too vague. What are bad behaviors? Is it just apparent that the person's underemployed? That's a management error for leaving that person in a spot that's beneath their ability.
Or is it something that actually affects other people?


To date, though, the people who had to give max effort had to do that because they were in over their head. That usually created more stress for them and more drama for the people around them as well as quality problems.
 

coolerifyoudid

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Feb 8, 2013
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Really depends on the influence that A has on other employees. If his bad attitudes are more of a "pain in the *****" variety versus a "cancer in the workforce" variety, you go with A. Given that you said it was a manufacturing/operation position, you're likely driven by numbers. I deal with several of each type of employees daily. You don't get rid of your top producers if they can be controlled with a little extra management.

That being said, you try to hang onto a 100% effort guy in some fashion if you can. But if he's not holding his own in his job requirements, you have to do what's best for the company. I've had to fire nice guys before. It sucks.
 

CycloneErik

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Really depends on the influence that A has on other employees. If his bad attitudes are more of a "pain in the *****" variety versus a "cancer in the workforce" variety, you go with A. Given that you said it was a manufacturing/operation position, you're likely driven by numbers. I deal with several of each type of employees daily. You don't get rid of your top producers if they can be controlled with a little extra management.

That being said, you try to hang onto a 100% effort guy in some fashion if you can. But if he's not holding his own in his job requirements, you have to do what's best for the company. I've had to fire nice guys before. It sucks.

Probably better for the last guy, too. If it takes 100% effort to be mediocre, that'll wear on him and inevitably create some major problems.
 

NickTheGreat

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I would breed them and hope that one of their offspring would be the high effort and high production type. And then send the low effort and low production offspring to my competitor.