Newspapers / Fotofax (Brevard, N.C.) / Dec. 1, 1983, edition 1 / Page 1
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FOTOFAX BREVARD PLANT PHOTO PRODUCTS DEPARTMENT DECEMBER, 1983 FOCUS ON OE: John Golden Answers Questions on “Organizational Effectiveness’ Q: — We’re hearing talk about something called Organizational Ef fectiveness: “OE”. What is it? Why are we doing it? A; — Organizational Effectiveness is difficult to describe because we have so little experience with it, but I hope our comments can furnish some in sight. You could say that OE is sim ply a better way of managing. It isn’t a formal training program as such; it’s more like a philosophy, a way of thinking. “But the reasons for it are very clear. Our world has changed drama- The reasons for Organization al Effectiveness are clear. tically. Not too long ago, we were one of a few producers of quality X-Ray film. Now, quality film is available from both European and Asian sourc es Their quality is improving, and their prices are lower. Competitive pressures are intensifying. “Added to that is the nationwide effort to lower medical costs. As medicare and other insurers iimit the amount of money they wiii pay for specific hospitai procedures, the sost of medicai X-Ray film is one of the things that will come under scru tiny. For instance, if a doctor decides that two X-Rays are enough, even though he would have liked to see soother—that cuts down the size of the market. So we have to be more effective, o keep a share of that market, to ecome more competitive in domes- ^'^d world markets." i/J. OE is “not a program”. ihe difference? vvith o training programs deai pecific subjects such as safety, problem solving, writing, procedures and courses like the recent eight week program for control mechanics. “OE, on the other hand, is a way of managing which works to improve productivity by involving and develop ing everyone, at all levels in the or ganization. It enables each person to identify, develop and implement changes to increase their effective ness, and thus make the plant more competitive." Q: — How will OE improve our busi ness? Can you give an example? A: — “Certainly! Although OE is just beginning, there are several things we’ve already done that are organiza tionally effective: “When reduced demand for base necessitated the shutdown of a cast ing line, we effectively avoided a layoff—people went into a “mainte nance helper" group. They moved in to a different tine of work very smoothly. The mcohsnfoo supported them. And they did an outstanding job! “A study of reinspection in the Fin ishing Area showed that diverting some material to recovery would be more economical than handling it sheet-by-sheet. This allowed six to eight operators to be reassigned and eliminated the need for new hires. “Those involved recognized the problem and were willing to partici pate in the solution. “Power and Grounds people know of our plans to have certain cleaning jobs done by outside ven dors. This is important; it reduces our costs by permitting reassign ment of permanent em ployees into other slots—again, avoiding new hires In an uncer tain market. “Have you noticed? In each case, the un derstanding and co operation of the people involved is a key part of each change. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of this posi tive attitude, the will ingness to be part of the answer to a problem. “In the Organization al Effectiveness semi nars that Norm and I are currently doing, I quote a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech nology, who says: “Giving up coffee breaks isn’t impor tant. What is impor tant is an Interest by employees In searching out more efficient produc tion processes and a willingness by them to embrace or accept the change.” “Doing business that way will con tribute greatly to our continuing job security. ’’ Q: — Is OE something unique to our plant, or are some other DuPont sites doing this? A: — "A.,'/ Photosys- tems plants have OE efforts in various stages of devel opment, as do a number of DuPont plants in other departments. The tex tile fibers plant at Kinston has had an ongoing program for 6 years, now, and their progress in becoming more competitive is absolutely outstand ing." Q: — How about outside DuPont, or foreign competitors such as Japan? A: — “A number of companies are in volved in similar activities—their ef- A-' Understanding and cooperation are key parts of problem solving. The important thing is willingness to change. forts may be called by different names, but the objective is the same, increased competitiveness. “Our major competitor in medical X-Ray has been taking positive ac tion, partly by trimming the fat from their organization, and by offering early retirements. “I have no firsthand knowledge of foreign competitors, but I believe It’s safe to conclude that they are also very active in programs to reduce costs, raise quality and increase their productivity.” Q: — / see what you mean by “A new way of thinking”. How are we going to learn about this? Will there be training sessions for everyone? A: — “Understanding OE is going to take some time, and of course there will be training sessions to follow. Actually, the current seminar effort is intended to set the stage for further training. Even after we understand the principles, applying them is going to call for a great deal of time and work. “Along the way, anything we can do to upgrade quality, lower manu facturing costs and improve produc tivity will make our products more competitive in the market—and I sup pose that brings us back where we started, looking for a definition. “When a person does what they can, as an individual, to make a bet ter product at the lowest possible cost—that’s organizational effective ness.”
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