Team building and management

In the process of implementing lean production management in manufacturing industries in China and even around the world, many enterprises have realized the importance of improving their team management level. When communicating with middle and senior management of enterprises, topics such as' our team management cannot keep up, our team lacks effectiveness, and our team leaders have insufficient abilities' are often mentioned. Indeed, the management level of a team often represents the comprehensive management level of an enterprise. After introducing lean production in the manufacturing industry throughout China, we compared it with international Fortune 500 companies such as Toyota and Samsung and found that our gaps exist at various levels and links of the enterprise, and the gap in team management level is extremely prominent. The team is the cornerstone of the enterprise, the window to achieve management, and the production link that directly creates value. Below, I will share my views on how to do a good job in team building and management in the enterprise.

Team reconstruction and maintenance

Any enterprise that can survive until now (let's not talk about its strength for now) can fully prove that its team has played a role in "organized production". So let's not come up and completely negate it. Our job is to identify the shortcomings and loopholes and find effective methods to improve them. So I call this job 'renovation'. A team is an organizational system composed of teams and groups. A team is the most basic organization on the production site, and several teams form a group to complete production tasks under the leadership of the department head or workshop director. The work tasks are assigned by the department head, and then carried out step by step, ultimately completed by the production line employees. The problems encountered during the process of completing work tasks are reported step by step by frontline employees and ultimately resolved, forming a closed loop. Many of our enterprises have a phenomenon where the personnel responsible for organizing production on site are composed of team leaders, dispatchers, and workshop directors. The class monitor is responsible for the work within their respective classes, busy and overwhelmed. They dispatch and coordinate resources, while the workshop director is responsible for overseeing the overall work. This phenomenon seems very reasonable. It seems that the scheduling has shared some of the work of the workshop director, but the workshop director is still very busy and there are always things that cannot be solved. Create a state of disconnection between the top and bottom. Here's an example: We set a class of 7 people and a group consists of three classes. In this way, teams are formed between classes and groups, with communication and collaboration between each other. Only a few issues will be reported to the class leader for resolution. The organizational structure is clear, and the division of functional responsibilities is clear, which is more conducive to timely and effective resolution of on-site problems.

Lean is a process of continuous improvement and standardization, and no organizational structure can remain unchanged. With the continuous changes in production capacity and personnel, its organizational structure also needs to be adjusted accordingly. When production capacity decreases, it needs to be downsized, and when production capacity increases, it needs to be expanded accordingly. The purpose is to solve on-site problems in a timely and effective manner through closed-loop management on site.

After determining the organizational structure, the clarification of functional responsibilities at each level is necessary to ensure the implementation of team work. The reason why many of our companies have chaotic and disorderly on-site management is also due to the lack of clear functional responsibilities for on-site supervision and management. Everyone doing what everyone does is equivalent to no one doing it. Having responsibility means having no responsibility at all. The products and production methods of each enterprise are different, and it is necessary to develop functional responsibilities and communication systems between different levels according to their own situation. (Toyota calls it Bao, Shang, Lian)

Many companies encounter the same problem, where team leaders lack the ability. In my opinion, this phenomenon is quite normal. It took Toyota 60 years of development and sedimentation to establish a systematic and powerful talent development system, which is necessary to output high-level on-site management personnel. Most of our companies have not even established this talent development system, so it is impossible for high-level team leaders to emerge within the company. Social recruitment requires a bachelor's degree or above, and no one is willing to engage in this job, so our only way out is to cultivate from now on. This is also what most of our enterprises lack - incorporating the talent development system into the company's strategic planning and truly building a century old enterprise!

Team Management and Operations

As mentioned earlier, clarifying the functional responsibilities of each level of the on-site team is a necessary step in team building. For a company, it is equivalent to rules, and for a society, it is equivalent to laws. We have achieved the goal of having laws to rely on, and the task of team management is to follow the law.

What is the content of on-site team management? Toyota's on-site management work revolves around five major tasks - safety, quality, production, personnel, and cost. It has a sequence, and the first safe task is the entrance to all tasks; Providing customers with high-quality products is Toyota's mission; Talent cultivation and personnel management are the support for completing the above three tasks; Finally, reducing costs can increase profits. These five tasks fully cover the work tasks of the on-site team leader. In fact, we all know that we need to do these tasks, but they are just slogans without any real implementation content. For example, a 5-minute morning meeting before production every day, which includes safety instructions and recent safety accidents; Convey production tasks; Confirm the physical condition of employees; Confirm attendance status, contact and handle personnel absenteeism and emergencies. Subsequently, the team leader visualized their work content for the day on the management board, and proceeded with the next day's work according to the work plan. These contents are all centered around five major tasks.

任何企业无论制造哪种产品都离不开这些管理内容，我们根据企业自身情况制定出班组长一天的工作计划，班组长按照工作计划具体实施就可以了。关键是现场各层级员工的考核机制要跟上。上一层级的点检评价要跟上。

下面就如何围绕五大任务进行现场班组的运营进行说明

“安全的作业是一切作业的入口”被标识在丰田现场最醒目的地方。五大任务当中安全也是放在第一位的，这充分证明了丰田对安全作业的重视程度，也充分证明了丰田尊重人性的方面。其实对于所有的企业来说安全都是最重要的管理工作，如果我们无法保障员工的安全，员工是不可能安心的完成生产任务的。安全管理的关键是落实到行动。我们国内的企业并不是不重视安全，而是方法不对，总是提出很多安全口号，然后让员工自己想办法确保安全。开展安全管理工作的第一步是明确的告诉员工按照怎样的方法去工作；厂区内行走必须走安全通道；厂区内必须穿着工作服和佩戴保护用具等等这样具体的要求和规定。随后各管理层及的定期点检和评价的跟进来确保安全管理工作的确实实施，这样的话就把安全管理工作扎扎实实的落地了。我们把班组的安全管理简单的归纳为三点，作业前：劳保用具佩戴的确认，作业中安全注意事项的说明。作业中：标准作业要求的相关安全内容的确认，异常发生时遵守停止、呼叫、等待。作业后：所有电器、设备的关闭点检。以上几点只是定常的业务内容。新员工入职的安全培训，KYT活动的定期开展，公司内安全事故的横展等有助于培养员工提高安全意识的活动也非常重要，而且要有计划的定期进行。相信如果我们的企业能把以上几点真正落实到班组的日常管理当中，安全工作也就开始落地了！

“生产客户满意品质的产品”是丰田的品质理念。追求高品质是丰田现场每一个班组的共同使命。大家都知道丰田品质的“三不原则——不接受、不制造、不流出”。我们企业的现场班组如何做到这三不原则呢？首先要打破检查和制造分离的传统模式，实现制造部门的员工自检。无论哪一道工序的作业员在开始对一个部件或一个半成品进行加工之前都要先检查它是不是合格品，如果是不合格品，那么跳线或在线修理，合格后方可复线生产。最关键的是要立刻联络上一道工序出现了品质问题，马上调查原因并制定对策、立刻实施。制造过程中要严格遵守标准作业，出现异常时停止、呼叫、等待。遵守标准作业是要以员工入职时的作业基本训练、入职后的作业提高训练和多技能训练为保障的。在这些基础之上加以现场班组长的定期作业观察来监督作业员的标准作业遵守状况，以此来保证现场作业员能够切实的遵守标准作业。当作业员完成了本道工序的加工作业之后要对这个产品或半成品是否符合品质要求进行检查，以此保证不会把不合格的产品留到下一工序或客户的手中。以这种最快的速度解决生产现场发现的品质问题，就可以避免产品到了下线才发现质量问题，造成人员、时间、材料甚至大批量完成品报废的原本可以不发生的浪费。再有就是不断的改善和标准化。员工在作业中发现的问题和遇到的困难要及时的报告班组长，班组长在作业观察的过程中发现的问题要立刻告诉作业员并纠正，然后体现在作业要领书当中。以上所说看起来容易做起来难！想要达成这样目标不仅需要有相应的体制做支撑，还需要一大批高质量现场管理人员。但是关键点是要从现在开始去做，哪怕只提高了一点、只改善了一个作业动作、只解决了一个很小的质量问题也是进步，也是提高，也是成功。只要我们发自内心的去做了——精益从心开始，改善从我做起

班组的生产管理无非就是正常的维持和异常的对应这两项工作，众所周知的丰田4M管理——人、机、料、法，是丰田现场班组实施生产管理的核心内容。人：班组长通过早操、作业观察和面对面沟通了解员工的身体健康状况和工作情绪，适当的安排休息，和员工谈心保证员工处于良好的身体状态和精神状态，以此确保正常的维持。出现缺勤状况，早会安排替岗人员，并对替岗人员进行该作业内容的重点事项进行说明，增加对该替岗人员的作业观察频次。设备：正常的维持就是通过TPM来实现的，这里不再做说明。异常发生时遵守停止、呼叫、等待的规定。调查事故发生的原因并制定对策、实施、并标准化。材料：确认生产所需的所有物料处于充足状态，不足的立刻补充。对设计变更的或厂家更换的零部件或原材料实施初品确认，出现异常及时联络并制定对策。对劳保用品、4S工具、办公用品等现场所需物品进行台账管理。方法：用变化点管理的方法进行生产正常维持的工作，按照异常对应和处置流程来处理现场发生的一切异常问题。以上简单的对丰田的班组生产管理作了说明，其中包含的内容是适用于任何一个企业的，也是现场生产的最基本管理内容。虽然我们的企业还达不到丰田的管理水品，但是只要我们一步一步，脚踏实地的开始去做就是我们的进步和提高。

人事——包含了与人相关的一切事物。考勤的管理、技能的培训、理论知识的培训、对部下的育成、休假的管理、对作业员的各种评价等等。这是丰田的班组人事管理，对比一下我们自己的企业，有些内容公司级的管理都没有，更不用说班组管理了。这也是我们整体管理水平很难提升或提升很慢的根本原因。我们的企业一般都停留在用人、管人的阶段，而忽略了最基础的培养人，也就是忽略了培养各层级的适合企业自身的人才。我们的企业习惯于买人才而不是培养人才。买来的不一定适用，但培养出来的一定是适合我们自己企业的，这个观点我想大家都同意。好在已经有一些企业认识到了这一点，并且在咨询公司的指导下或自发的开始组织、建立适合企业自身特点的人才育成体系，而且取得初步成效。用人和管人的工具和方法大同小异，而且企业间的可复制性很强，我们企业的水平也并不低，在这里不做过多说明，重点谈一下人才培养的内容。企业首先要建立专门从事对各层级员工进行有计划、有针对性培训的专职部门。（丰田把这个部门叫做技能培训中心）培训内容包含了对全体员工的入职培训、普通员工的基础知识和技能的培训、对班组长层级的管理理论知识和工具方法的培训、对技术层级的专业知识和专业技能的培训、针对高级管理者的专业理论知识和工具方法的培训、各层级晋升的培训和考核等等。其次，健全公司各层级的等级划分和晋升机制、轮岗机制。制造现场举例说明：根据企业自身情况具体划分为操作工、班长、组长、车间主任等层级，层级间工资、待遇有所区别，但一定是自下而上的递进方式。定期评价晋升，给每名员工以向上的空间。各层级间定期轮岗，使公司各层级都能达到多能工化，以实现个人能力和企业管理能力的同步提高。丰田把它叫做扩大型培养（插入图片）。建立专职的培训部门是为了培养人才，扩大型培养是为了留住人才，有了这样的体系我们就不用再担心人才流失的问题了，即便是流失了，也有充足的后备力量做支撑。班组人事管理是建立在人才培养体系这个大的框架之上的，班组长根据本班组人员的实际情况制定年度、月度的技能培训计划，并按照计划的时间节点进行评价，选拔优秀员工到公司技能培训中心进行培训、并作为班组长的候选储备，在平时的工作中协助班组长开展工作。班组人事管理的重点就是培养后备人才。

成本管理在班组管理当中很难体现出具体效果，但又是五大任务当中不可缺少的重要环节。生产所需消耗品的使用、节水、节能、降耗等都属于班组成本管理的范畴，其主要管理内容体现在具体的规定和制度上，（例如：劳保用品的清洗周期和更换周期的规定、休息时关闭电源、只使用必要的电灯等等。）然后按照规定切实的实施和点检，关键是员工能够自觉主动的去做。其实在班组当中能够做到成本管理是很难的，丰田把成本作为班组管理的五大任务之一是有企业文化做背景的“智慧和改善、尊重人性——TOYOTA WAY 的两大支柱”有了这样的文化做支撑，员工首先会自觉主动地遵守成本相关的各项管理规定，然后在做任何工作的同时都会考虑到成本方面，也就不断的涌现出许多成本降低相关的改善提案，加之一些有针对性的成本主题活动。班组长把本班组成本相关的规章制度点检情况汇总，成本改善内容整理总结，成本管理也就有了成果。

我们的企业现阶段做好班组成本管理的相关规章制度，班组长认真的点检实施状况，公司给予员工适当的激励政策，鼓励每一名员工勇于挑战，挖掘智慧不断改善，班组长带头到现场真刀实枪的干，形成员工与员工、公司与员工之间相互尊重、团队协作的企业氛围，我们曾经喊过的口号“以厂为家、员工是企业的主人”也就真正落地了。如果我们打破了只注重成果不注重过程的怪圈，班组的成本管理自然水到渠成。

综上所述，我们任何企业想做好班组建设和管理绝不是一朝一夕的事情，大部分企业的通病都是没有自己的文化做支撑。大家都知道学习丰田管理，丰田管理的精髓就是文化——智慧和改善、尊重人性。请大家记住丰田是不可复制的，传承中国文化，打造企业文化，在此基础之上摸索适合我们企业自己的生产和管理方式才是我们的正道——精益之路

信息来源：天津爱波瑞科技发展有限公司