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Achieving Quality Through Self Managed Work Teams (SMWT): A Successful Implementation

Learn how Skip Easterly Labor Consultants of Raleigh successfully implemented self-managed work teams for quality outcomes in labor law enforcement. Discover the people, processes, and outcomes of this transformative approach.

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Achieving Quality Through Self Managed Work Teams (SMWT): A Successful Implementation

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  1. Achieving Quality Through Self Managed Work Teams (SMWT):A Successful Implementation Skip Easterly Labor Consultants of Raleigh, Inc. consultskip@earthlink.net

  2. The People • A 35 year state and federal labor law enforcement professional • Experienced in enforcing Wage and Hour laws, the Equal Pay Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Migrant Labor protections, and labor standards in Government Contracts • Awards for Team and Individual performance • Testimony in congress on new legislation

  3. The People • 30 years experience as a supervisor • Some ISO 9000 experience • Wide background and experience in experimenting with motivation of work groups • Read everything in sight, starting with T-Groups in the 1960s • Considerable time working as only professional with work group experience (loan agreement)

  4. The People • Staff of eight professional investigators • Backgrounds: military investigators, wage/hour investigators, paralegals, probation and parole • No turnover in three years at inception of SMWT • Eight positions, 15 individuals in 16 years, two rose to Manager

  5. The People • Change of top leadership. Generalization: Republicans not generally attuned to worker protection; Democrats want labor laws enforced • Change of Middle Manager • PhD in Management, proponent of strategic planning, accountability and continuous process improvement, no SMWT experience

  6. The Work Unit • Enforcement of worker protection legislation • Started 1992 • Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act, protects workers involved in Workers Compensation claims, Wage and Hour, safety and health complaints and five other areas • Attorney was first manager of the unit • Processes haphazard, little effort to complete casework

  7. The Work Unit • Hired experienced manager with background in work process analysis and task completion • New upper management instituted strategic planning and required matching individual work plans to unit mission and goals • Upper management heard SMWT presentation and endorsed (in writing and in actions) formation of work team

  8. The Work Unit • Many Team concepts already instilled in work group – 360 degree evaluations of manager, team and individuals • Training on team concepts over several years • Sponsor Committee - Manager, Middle Manager, HR Professional with SMWT experience

  9. The Work Unit • Co-manager project over a year’s time • Real authority given to co-managers • Real problems they handled: • Construction of Strategic Plan • Dovetailing of Individual Performance Plans to Strategic Plan • Individual performance problem • Spanish complaint problem • Process changes • Service complaints • Budget reversion

  10. The Work Unit • Had been through ISO 9000 – had feel for process mapping • Individual and Team 360 Degree Evaluation • Hired last three Investigators and three support staff – no management participation

  11. Institution of the SMWT • Additional training – mediation, conflict resolution • Celebration of ‘The Beginning’ – team meeting, formal delegation of authority to the SMWT, upper management present • Benchmarks established from prior data • Backlog of complaints • Service time frames • Service complaints • Like enforcement agencies

  12. Institution of the SMWT • Feedback for Team and Individuals • Monthly reporting to Middle Manager • Year end lunch and reporting to Top Management • Process changes • Questionnaires • Questionnaires sent with Complaint Form

  13. Institution of the SMWT • Training support staff member as Information Officer • Template letters sent by Investigators, not support person • Allow Investigators too close cases except litigation • Cursory 10% Coach closed case review quarterly for individual and team aberrations and best practices

  14. Institution of the SMWT • Customer service complaints – internal review then to attorney • Individual and team training • Case mediation by Coach • Immediate assignment • 8 Investigators each required to complete 11% of all cases • Celebration of First Year Accomplishments – dinner with top management

  15. Outcomes • 20.7 % improvement in timeliness in first year; continues today • 14.4% improvement in best outcomes • 33.5% reduction in backlog • Commissioner’s Award for Excellence 2nd year as SMWT • First time given to team rather than to individual • Ability of SMWT member to move to manager/coach position upon retirement of coach • Continuous service improvements

  16. Customer Service Complaints • Three (all unsubstantiated) in the last 2,945 cases 3 divided by 2,945 = 0.00010186

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