Power By The People "Fast Company" July/August 1999 By Curtis Sittenfeld

In the right environment people at all levels of an organization can make a contribution. Too often people, especially laborers, feel they have no say at work. Their job turnover rate, sick days, and job related injuries are high. "Consolidated Diesel" is unique and uses a socio-technical approach to work. With this style of management the workers work as teams and have a say in determining how they work. They found that it helps workers feel more satisfied and more productive.

"Consolidated Diesel" developed policies and practices in four key areas. First, the company plays fair with bonuses. If one person gets a bonus, everyone gets one. Second, the company does cross-training of jobs. This helps others respect each other's work. Third, the company listens to employees and has them design solutions to problems. Fourth, the team does the hiring and firing of team members.

I agree with this article. The workers want responsiblity and say at work. Too often companies get loaded down with management that dictates policies and has the attitude that if you don't like it, quit. With the labor shortage I think companies have been forced to make changes in how they manage their employees. They now need to manage retaining their labor force.

With this philosophy at "consolidated Diesel" they needed to trust their employees and also have very good managers who understood the workers. It is not surprising that they do most of their promotions from within the company. I wonder if the employees hire their managers. I think the worker probably would be the most qualified to hire the managers.

I also liked the way they held company meetings. The meetings were numerous, this enabled the meetings to be small in size. This way the employees could openly ask questions.

Tis is a company I would not mind working for because of the way management works with employees. The key to the comany's success is to hire good people and keep communication open.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 1999

Answers

Bill Berning, Another good article. You provided a fine summary and keen observations. Remember to watch your spelling. Also include comments about the article after you discuss it with a peers.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 1999