Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1505694
92 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2023 e VP called me and said, "We're hav- ing some problems; the rate of innovation is down, and the Board is upset. e engineers are not working fast enough and we think we need your help get- ting the engineers to work better together." "How many engi- neers do you have?" "About 19-20." "How many sales- people do you have?" "About 20-25." "Are they working on commission? If so, what are your latest incen- tives?" "Yes, and they're all racing towards get- ting a Q4 bonus on selling maintenance plans." "So, what's stuffed into your pipeline right now?" en there was a long pause. I'm not a wizard, but apparently no one thought to ask about how their process is contributing to the fact that they're underwater, and they've incentivized their way there. Shaughnessy: Some of the managers in our industry are a little "old school." What does it take for people to realize they need to con- sider a new strategy after 30 or 40 years in the business? Is it an "Ah-ha" moment? In all of the stories about companies who have successfully changed their ways, especially with the people who are "old school," as you say, it literally came from an epiphany, and it was brought about by somebody bringing an outside perspective to them to chew on. Unfortunately, they don't all have the bene- fit of going to a four-day seminar on Deming and having their thinking deconstructed by him over two days, and then building them back up, so that suddenly the light goes off. But, now there are better ways to learn Deming's ideas, so that you don't have to posters. e metaphor writ large is that you're trying to desalinate the ocean into a tiny two- liter bottle and you haven't done anything about the salt in the water. It's all behind you. And it's all waiting to just wipe out everything you've done. In my career, I spent a good 10-12 years trying to fix things from the shop floor. I was desalinating the team. But the larger practices in the organization kept pulling my efforts apart. e number one question that I get as a cold call solicitation is, "Our people aren't working well together, and there's a problem with the team." Really? Why is that? "Well, they don't seem to be very communicative or cooperative. ey're short with each other." e next question I ask is, "How proximate are we right now to a performance appraisal? Has it just happened? Or is it just coming?" And nine times out of 10, that's the case. One call came from a manufacturer who makes augmented reality solutions for techni- cians in the field. e technology allows them to use a smartphone to do a real-time video feed, which automatically recognizes and pat- tern-matches the equipment being worked on, and transmits it back to a coach technician who provides a pinpoint diagnosis.