Issue link: https://industrialengineer.epubxp.com/i/826827
20 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine W Answering the call to change lives By Kevin McManus performance When I started my industrial engineer- ing career more than 35 years ago, I had no idea that I would be changing lives with my work. Fortunately, my first boss, Ed, was quite committed to making sure that I engaged the people my work was going to be affecting as I did my time studies, procedure writing and layout improve- ments. Little did I realize how his focus and efforts would end up shaping my own approach to working with people in the coming years. Two years later, I was in my second job in a larger company. This role was more costing-relat- ed, so I did not have that many projects that directly affected the lives of my co-workers. The size of the plant, however, afforded me the chance to observe the impact that the work of other more se- nior engineers had on the daily lives of people. My most memorable experience of this nature from that location involved a senior industrial engineer we will call Darrell. To put it bluntly, Darrell was quite full of himself. In his mind, he did not need the help of anyone to do his process improvement work. Because he was the senior IE, he was assigned to develop a new production line for a new product. As usual, he chose to develop the project in his egotistical vacuum. The initial attempt to make the new product was a failure. Because Darrell failed to involve the workers whose lives he would be changing, he missed out on the chance to avoid a lot of produc- tion problems with the new line. Even- tually, with their help, the line became operational. Observing the initial fiasco would serve as a major influencing ex- perience in my work life for years to come. As my career progressed, my span of control for changing the lives of oth- ers at work grew larger and larger. As I gained respect for the influential power that effective work system changes can have, I continued to look for ways to help ensure I was making the right types of improvements – changes that would serve the greater good instead of just myself. I also gained more respect for the benefits that come from engaging the people whose lives are affected by my work. Everyone is good at something. By finding and utilizing that good, we can install system changes that can be positive, powerful and long lasting. No one likes to have things done to them without their input. As industrial and systems engineers, we are consistently challenged with making sure that we don't get the same negative results that Darrell did. Our work as industrial and systems engineers can change the lives of people in either a positive way or a negative way. Simply engaging front-line staff in our project work can give them a sense of job enrichment. Truly making it eas- ier for them to do their jobs can provide even greater and lasting benefits. Conversely, failing to engage the peo- ple whose lives we are changing can be damaging to all parties involved. How often have such thoughts crossed your mind as you develop improvement projects? Do you see, and are you committed to, embracing the power for driving positive change that comes with your work role? Do you believe that by improv- ing the places where we spend the bulk of our waking lives you are also doing work that benefits society? Today, making work a better place is a passionate goal of mine. I believe that by making work a better place, life away from work becomes better as well. This is an awesome responsibility, but one that I am quite willing to accept. How about you? How willing are you to ac- cept responsibility for changing the lives of others? Kevi cMa us is a performa ce improve- me t coach based i ai ier, Orego , a d a 34-year member of IISE. He has writte workbooks about perso al a d team effective- ess. McMa us is a lum i exami er for the Malcolm Baldrige Natio al Quality Award. Reach him at kevi @greatsystems.com. By making work a better place, life away from work becomes better as well.