Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/734166
20 SMT Magazine • October 2016 The first six Jumping off the Bandwagon month- ly columns have been dedicated to addressing the proper academic preparation of our high-tech electronic product assembly workforce. As the gap between industry need and ac- ademic preparation has continued to widen, a consequence has been the adverse effect this disconnect has had on the ability of a company to compete in the global manufacturing mar- ketplace. All competitive roads in any capitalist free market business ultimately lead to a cost versus contribution analysis—or said another way: a value assessment. The next series of columns in this space will explore another important cost driver—one that, like academic preparation, in many circles is at best awkward and uncomfort- able, and at worst is dangerous to talk about. What is the cost of management and lead- ership? And, what does a company get for that money? These are questions that have been rarely discussed in an analytic way. They have been considered a given component of the adminis- trative cost a company needs to absorb—the as- sumption always being it is a cost needed for the company to fit into a traditional hierarchal organizational structure. Here are some of the additional questions and topics that will be addressed in this and subsequent columns in this series: 1. Is there a difference between manage- ment and leadership? 2. If so, what are the corresponding attri- butes of both? 3. What metrics can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of each attribute? 4. What role does a leader play in today's high tech electronic product assembly industry? 5. Who can be a leader? Must he or she be a manager? 6. What is the management and leadership cost for a high tech electronic product assembly company? 7. Are there alternate organizational models that achieve management and leadership objec- tives at a lower cost? by Tom Borkes THE JEFFERSON PROJECT Do the High Paid Managers in Your Organization Add Value? FEATURE COLUMN: JUMPING OFF THE BANDWAGON