Jedi Management Techniques

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Darth Vader Versus Jedi ManagementTechniques

With the imminent release of Star Wars 3Don February 10th, my youth resurfacedand of course a blog post was conceived.

Todays post is a partial tribute to my favorite lm

series along with a healthy dose ofmaintenancemanagement for turnaround situations.

There are a lot of different management styles ran-ging from highly authoritarian (Darth Vader andthe Emperor) to facilitators (The Jedi Council) tocoaching (Obi-won Kenobi). In my experience thereis a place and a time for each style depending onthe cast of players and the objective to be achieved.

Each management style has its limitations and effec-tiveness on the maintenance operations it is tryingto manage. Let us take a look at the pros and consof the three styles in the context of a turnaroundsituation.

A maintenance turnaround situation is when main-tenance operations is not performing well and is

costing the organization more money than antici-pated. Tell-tale signs include:

Out of control labor costs due to overtime.

Excessive repairs from assets that have notbeen maintenance properly with preventivemaintenance, inspections or any mainte-nance methodology.

Completely reactive maintenance with hugemaintenance backlogs.

Unplanned capital expenditures from assetfailing unexpectedly.

Skyrocketing energy costs as a result of as-sets not being maintained.

Successful turnarounds start with a strong indivi-dual capable of quickly accessing maintenance staffskill levels, tools and attitudes. Changes will comefrom a combination ofCMMS technology, directives,coaching, training, and nding the maintenancestars who embrace change.

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Darth Vader Versus Jedi Management Techniques

Darth Vader Management

Darth Vader is now a part of the American popcultural and represents the bad or evil way of doingthings. In essence, Darth Vader is a strong individual

capable of taking charge and executing immediatechange using fear as his weapon.

Typical characteristics of this management styleinclude some familiar clichs such as:

There is a new Sheriff in town and if youdont it, I will shoot you (ring the em-ployee)

My way or the highway You need to work harder and longer and

for less pay

In general, this style of management makes eitherdirect or implied threats to employees in order toexecute change. Thepros of this style are limited but include:

Ensures everyone is aware that change isneeded and coming.

Will quickly identify the dragons in an orga-nization who will inhibit change.

Establishes immediate authority and ac-

countability for the change.

The cons will always outweigh the pros of a DarthVader management style because this managementstyle has a tendency to bring out the 7 Deadly Sinsof Asset Management as well as:

Maintenance employees will quickly losetheir fear or nd ways to circumvent the

changes. Maintenance employees have no buy-in to

the change. With-out buy-in, change will notobtain the desired objectives.

Employee turnover increases as goodpeople rarely like to be threatened. Thislowers the asset knowledge base unless aCMMS system has been recording workhistory, creating SOPs etc..

New employee recruitment suffers. Skilledmaintenance workers are retiring faster

than can be replaced. New maintenancestaff will not nd the authoritative DarthVader style management desirable.

The Jedi Council

The Jedi Council (senior management, asset andmaintenance managers) uses its power to facilitatechange through collaboration. In best case scenarios,senior management appoints (hires) a new assetand maintenance leader as well as a maintenanceplanner and the appropriate CMMS programs toturnaround their operations.

The idea is bring about change through technology,employee empowerment and training. Employeebuy-in is at the top of the goals list and the newmanager is a skilled motivator. Thepros of this approach are signicant because:

The reason for change is explained in anon-threatening yet matter-of-fact need forcompany survival.

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Engaging employees in the change to aCMMS system shows them how they can dotheir job more effectively and eciently.

Buy-in is achieved as a result of staff reco-gnizing and making suggestions on how tomake improvements. Subsequent empower-ment to execute changes locks in the CMMSbuy-in.

Employee turnover is limited to mainte-

nance staff unable to adopt to technology orchange.

The Jedi Council ensures that the resourcesneed for the changes are available (techno-logy, training, time).

The cons of this approach to implementing a CMMSsolution are limited to:

The facilitators resolve in making sure theresources needed are available. Fighting for

resources is always a battle. This is a longterm war, facilitators must be prepared. Sometimes decisions get bogged down in

committee or lengthy discussions. This iswhere the Darth Vader in the new managerneeds to surface for a moment.

The collective group does not always listento maverick ideas or individuals.

The Return of Jedi Maintenance

The biggest problem with facilitative managementis that it has a tendency to limit the contributionsof wild and crazy ideas. Some of the best ideas forchange come from people who are not socially ac-tive or do not feel comfortable in group meetings,discussions etc.

Jedi maintenance in this case refers to the abilityto think outside the box to nd a solution. Manytimes these solutions are hidden away by shy staff.

Getting the most from introverted staff often re-quires a great coach like Obi-wan who sees thepotential in someone and tries to develop them.With proper coaching these people can generatesignicant cost savings ideas and often become thefuture of the company.

As with the other two management styles this onehas its pros and cons too. The most signicant pro

was just mentioned. The cons are that:

Too much time is given to one individualleaving other staff feeling neglected and theCMMS implementation suffers.

Not everyone can be coached, some peopleneed more direction or authoritative super-vision than others. Good coaches are notalways good managers.

These are only some of the things that can make the

difference in turning around a failing maintenanceoperation. As previously mentioned, there is a timeand place for most management styles. But the bestmanagers have a little bit of Darth and Jedi in theirmanagement skill set.

We hope you enjoy the 3D release tomorrow andare here to help you with your asset and mainte-nance management needs. If you liked this articleyou may also want to read:

Asset Management, CMMS,maintenance manage-ment

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