April 15, 2008
The Winds of Change
Long Live the Maintenance Revolution!
Vive la révolution de l’entretien!
Who really stands for change in our industry?
The most significant changes to business, industry, and society have come from the trades, engineers, floor experienced managers, inventors, and scientists. All advances put forth beyond those concepts are usually just extensions of the original idea. Nowadays, many of the original ideas are taken and changed, made more complex and even corrupted based upon the level of understanding of the person, or group, translating the information. In these times, it is the consultants and academics who have tried to convince us that they are the ones who generate change, have an impact, and are required to do the work because the ‘common man’ is incapable of doing so.
For the originators of ideas and concepts that have transformed our culture, each has had to fight adversity in their various forms of ‘management.’ In some cases the conflict ended badly, in others an understanding and supportive management and general support have launched the idea(s). In recent times, I am sorry to say, I have seen few, very few, significant changes come as the result of consultants nor academia – one of the reasons I spent only a few years on the academic side [and a good thing I consider myself a coach and not a consultant].
Who are the names we remember throughout history that have changed, really changed, the world? Let’s pick just a few: Socrates, Plato, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Da Vinci, Galileo, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, James Watt, Michael Faraday, Eli Whitney, John Hall, Frederick Taylor, Eliyahu Goldratt, and many others. These are the quarterbacks of change to our way of life, how we run business, how we live, and even our culture. But, can you recite who they worked for? In some cases, yes – because those were enlightened leadership: George Westinghouse, Henry Ford, Jack Welch, John Kennedy, and others. However, these managers tended not to be the initiator of ideas and concepts, but were able to bring them together for success and change. For instance, it took John Hall’s idea of inter-changeable parts and Frederick Taylor’s concepts of scientific management to develop the assembly line.
So, where does that leave us? I am concerned when I hear others tell tradesmen, engineers, and R&M professionals that they cannot affect change. I even sat in a courtroom case where the defendant claimed that the plaintiff was unable to have developed a product because he did not have a degree and was a ‘mere craftsman.’ We, each of us, have the ability to implement change, to revolutionize our industry because who else will?
The first step to implementing change is to have passion for what we do. Do the best possible job no matter how menial it seems. Be proud of what you do and don’t be afraid to talk about it! Don’t complain (well, when it is appropriate, of course) that no one listens because if you do that, you convince yourself and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Change involves emotions of fear, and it requires stronger emotions to overcome that emotion. If you truly believe in changing how you live at least 1/3rd of your life, then you must encompass this emotion through passion!
It took emotion to start the industrial revolution, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and more.
So, how do we drive change within our organizations?
The pendulum has swung away from engineering-based management towards cost-based management, or away from throughput-centric to cost-centric maintenance programs, right? This was the same concept concerning craftsmen, trades, and workers at the turn of the 20th Century as conceived by the theory of scientific management. The idea was that workers would work to the best of their ability for a fair day’s wage. While the concepts behind scientific management were wildly successful, this part was not. During World War I and the Western Electric workforce studies between 1914 and 1933, it was discovered that the workforce is far more complex.
The same issue resides with management. We have made the same assumption that what drives management is cost and money. This is a patently false assumption. The same motivation that drives us, drives our managers and leadership. To understand that is to understand what is necessary to make the necessary changes at the highest levels of our organizations. Knowing this allows us to make logical choices and to allow us to focus our energy appropriately, requiring the logical thought processes of the engineer! (Ref: Physical Asset Management for the Executive).
Not that I always listen to my own advice.
As I have stated in the past, I consider myself more of a coach, or anti-consultant. With that, I get excited when those I am helping succeed and get recognition. In fact, many times my job is to follow after consultants to clean up the mess that they left behind – subtly. Have you ever tried to help someone conduct the RCM process when RCM is a bad word because of a multi- million dollar consulting disaster? Not easy!
Most often it requires a simple step back to basics or just plain common sense. Unfortunately, because of a lack of clear corporate (boardroom level) R&M strategy we operate in a state of chaos. Even some of our best programs can be described as ‘seat of the pants,’ as it would only require the loss of one, or a few, individuals to lose focus.
It is also important to remember Occam’s Razor – often the simplest solution is best. Be suspicious of complex-sounding programs as they are often developed for the benefit of the vendor or consultant and not the client!
Why is this important to us? What is in it for us, personally? Our own WIIFM? First, I assume that you are reading this because you don’t see your job as just 9 to 5, but want to make a difference.
Stay Tuned! Solutions are on the way!
Long Live the Maintenance Revolution!
Sincerely,
President, SUCCESS by DESIGN Reliability Services
Executive Director, Institute of Electrical Motor Diagnostics, Inc.
Member, National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981) and
International Federation of Journalists
