Proactive Lubrication in Practice

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://conference.reliableplant.com/proactive-lubrication/

Several reliability studies have identified that approximately 70% of all equipment failure is attributed to lubricant contamination. What this is really telling us is that approximately 70% of all potential equipment reliability gains can be obtained with a proactive lubrication program. One of the biggest opportunities for increasing equipment up time and reducing maintenance cost is in the field of lubrication.

What is proactive lubrication? We are all aware of the critical roll lubrication plays in equipment function, but what is the meaning behind proactive lubrication? Below is a common definition of proactive:

[Pro + reactive]: acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes.

Given the definition of proactive, I believe it would be accurate to say that proactive lubrication is the application of lubricants with the intent of reducing or eliminating future failures or faults that could be addressed through lubrication. This does not mean simply checking fluid levels, performing the required oil changes and putting a shot of grease in a bearing when it is starting to make noise, but actively seeking ways to extend equipment life and improve its function.

Most machinery rides on a film of lubrication. Theoretically if we can provide a film of oil that will never allow metal to metal contact and is free of contaminants that can abrade and wear on opposing surfaces, the machine should run forever. Well theory is nice to talk about, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Contaminants do get into oil and we have operating conditions that constantly challenge the integrity of the lubricants we use. If we refuse to accept the common mentality of good enough and focus on improving fluid cleanliness, there is big money to saved everywhere!

This article will first discuss filtration, followed by a real life case study supporting the argument that improved fluid cleanliness is a big hitter when it comes down to cost savings and the bottom line.

Filter Ratings

When considering filtration choices don’t be fooled by the advertising. Filter manufacturers have one goal, to sell their filters! Salesmen are not commonly concerned about which brand of filter is best for your application; they are determined to convince you that their brand of filters are the best thing since apple pie and baseball.

Be careful when looking at filter specifications. Some filter manufacturer’s rate filter performance with a simple micron rating, like “3 microns”. A rating such as this actually tells the consumer very little about how the filter will perform in a real life application. Another ploy in advertising is to advertise an efficiency rating in percent of efficiency at a certain micron. The better quality filters are commonly advertised with a Beta Ratio rating.

Beta Ratio

The beta ratio rating of a filter is be expressed something like this “β3µ=1000” which means the beta ratio for 3 micron sized particles is 100. What this is saying is that for every 1000 particles 3 microns in size, that enter the filter, only 1 will pass through. Likewise, if a filter is rated β3µ=200, for every 200 particles 3 microns in size, that enter the filter, only 1 of those particles will pass through the element. Below is a visual representation of beta ratio that effectively illustrates the meaning.

(Courtesy of HY-PRO)

The test for beta ratio ratings is effectively standardized, but not absolute; what I mean to say is that the test cannot emulate the varying operating conditions a filter will encounter in real life applications, but it does provide a standard for comparison.

To illustrate the significance of beta ration ratings, the following case study is provided:

The test was conducted on a 300 gallon rolling oil system that is used to flood work rolls as material is passed through a cold rolling mill. The oil drains into an open sump and is returned to the reservoir by a transfer pump. The particle count was conducted in house, through a minimess port, with an on sight particle counter. Both test were taken under similar operating conditions and are representative of the average from several test that were conducted. The first test report represents the performance of a name brand filter element with an advertised performance rating of β3=75 and the second test was taken after replacing the original element with one that has a rating of β3=1000. (The particle count represents the number of particles per milliliter of fluid)

Thinking back to when I started my career as a maintenance lubricator I did not fully understand the significance of filter ratings and in no way would not have expected such a difference between two filters with the same micron rating. Obviously the results identify significant disparities in the single pass efficiency of the two filters.

This presents a common problem for many trained lubricant professionals when it comes time to order filters through the purchasing department of their companies. If the call out is for a 3 micron filter, the purchaser will first look for a 3 micron filter rating and then (commonly from pressure to reduce cost) look for the cheapest 3 micron rated filter they can find. The problem is that you commonly get what you pay for! In the above case study, the β3=75 filters cost about $50 each and the machine takes 6 filter elements per change out, for a total change out cost of $300. The elements were changed semi annually, on a scheduled PM work request, for a yearly total of $600. The β3=1000 filter elements cost around $130 each and are changed out 3 times year (change out intervals were modified as determined through condition based monitoring) for a total annual cost of $2340.00. So what is the company gaining for the extra annual expense of $1740.00?

Within 6 weeks of implementing the filtration system upgrade, the department engineer approached the lubricators and asked if we had implemented the proposed upgrade yet? Management was seeing a 10% product yield increase through final inspection due to surface quality improvement, but could not identify where it was coming from. It was from improved lubricant cleanliness and saves the $100,000.00 a year! As an added benefit, the bearings that support the work rolls are also lubricated by the rolling oil. Work roll bearings have customarily been changed out at six month intervals, the current set of bearings have exceeded twice the life expectancy and are still going strong. If this pattern of increased bearing life repeats, there will be a verifiable reliability improvement with a cost savings of $140,000.00 a year. That is a total savings of $240,000 a year!!

In a nut shell, the purchasing agent can save the company $1740.00 a year by buying cheaper filters, but a pro active lubrication strategy saved the company just under a quarter million dollars a year by identifying an opportunity for improvement and spending a little more on filtration.

The above case study is not an isolated occurrence or the largest realized savings we have seen from employing a proactive approach to lubrication. We have realized significant decreases in mean time between failures, increases in equipment uptime due to improved reliability and in some instances product improvement due to better responsiveness from the machines controls.

When initiating a lubrication improvement, please take every opportunity to measure the fluid condition before and after the modification. Document the gains, work with production, engineering, purchasing and management to document, implement and measure the improvements. If you can’t show a gain, you will not invoke the support of your company and there will likely be no opportunity to prove and advance proactive lubrication practices in your facility. The value of proactive lubrication practices is largely overlooked and until you can document gains, management will not be able to realize the value added.

Training

Lubrication is a maintenance trade, without the proper training it is difficult to become proficient at it. A facility that is serious about equipment reliability will seek to train their lubricators and recognize the value in a skilled and dedicated lubrication program. From a professional standpoint, seek to obtain all of the training that is offered. I am fortunate to work in a facility that believes strongly in the value of pro active lubrication techniques and has eagerly encouraged and supported advanced lubrication training to anyone that is willing to work at it.

Because of the opportunity afforded to me by my employer, I have benefitted by receiving training from top notch companies like Noria, Lubrication Training Consultants (LTC), SKF, Chevron University and The Society of Tribologist and Lubrication Engineers. (STLE) With the training I’ve received, I have been able to obtain numerous certifications that have significantly improved my knowledge, enhanced my skill level and helped me to advance within my company. To an employer that may be reading this article, I would like to say that if you have a maintenance employee who wants to put the extra time and effort into training and certification, it will likely pay big dividends. If you are an employee reading this article and your employer is willing to invest in training and certification, jump on it!

This article was previously published in the Reliable Plant 2013 Conference Proceedings.

By Dale Jones, Allegheny Wah Chang

The Journey to Reliability Uncovers a ‘Hidden Plant’ Within the Walls

Article extract from ReliabilityWeb newsletter:
http://reliabilityweb.com/index.php/articles/the_journey_to_reliability_uncovers_a_hidden_plant_within_the_walls/

Those working in the field of maintenance know how important it is to the success of any organization to maximize reliability and minimize or eliminate unscheduled downtime. This can be a daunting task and often requires professional collaboration, a change in organizational culture, and the willingness and ability to make decisions that are not always popular.

Lubrication Engineers (LE) is no different than any other manufacturing facility in the world. It can only make a profit if it is producing quality product and shipping it to customers in a timely fashion. If the facility experiences unscheduled downtime with its production equipment, it causes a ripple effect throughout the entire operation. When this happens, the organization seeks to learn from it and get better to minimize the risk of it occurring again.

LE manufactures its own high-performance industrial and automotive lubricants in its 200,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse facility. Its products are distributed and used by companies all over the world (Figure 1). As a batch process manufacturer - as opposed to a continuous process manufacturer - LE is able to give each product an intensive care approach during the cooking and blending steps. It formulates its products to meet the needs of the application and not just to meet minimum specifications.

After the finished product is approved by quality control, the product handling department fills containers ranging in sizes from pint bottles to tanker trucks. Product is stored in three warehouses across the United States, which helps lessen the delivery times to customers in various regions.

All this may sound good, but LE is never satisfied with the status quo. The company works continually to maintain or improve mechanical uptime in order to provide quality product and reliable service to its customers. Seven years ago, LE had some challenges to overcome. The biggest challenge was the need to change the reliability culture in the entire facility. While LE was already very good at helping its customers improve lubrication reliability and mechanical uptime, the company knew it could do better in its own facility. The organization needed to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

LE needed to focus on managing its assets at a higher level than ever before. The company initiated plant-wide meetings to discuss reliability topics. Discussions focused on reliability in terms of how it relates to its employees, as well as its customers. LE determined that it could do better in its reliability efforts and save money by doing so.

Getting Started

The beginning of a reliability journey can seem overwhelming, but that is why it is so important to be patient and take one step at a time. Although it would seem easy for a company like LE to get started because it already partners with reliability-minded product and service providers, its reliability journey still sputtered, at best, in the early stages, even with this built-in advantage.

Top-Down Support

It was imperative that senior management recognized that good lubrication practices would protect assets and keep them generating products and profits, positively affecting the bottom line. LE also needed its leaders to place equal importance on both human and mechanical assets.

Education & Training

LE chose to spend money on its people to get them the training they needed. The maintenance team and senior management attended maintenance reliability conferences and as many training opportunities as possible. Many were able to earn certifications, including Machinery Lubrication Technician Level I (MLT), Oil Monitoring Analyst Level I (OMA) and Certified Lubrication Specialist (CLS), which further increased their confidence and ownership of the process (Figure 2). They then began implementing what they learned into their operations.

Reliability Products

One of the first changes made was installing desiccant breathers and sight glasses on many of the assets (Figure 3). Top-down support was crucial for this investment to happen. It was understood and agreed upon that increasing the reliability of each asset would lower the total cost of ownership. LE later incorporated other reliability products, including automatic lubricators and filtration devices.

Computer System

As the workforce’s knowledge level increased and reliability improved due to the small changes put in place, improvements began to accelerate. LE began looking into a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) because, up to this point, maintenance reliability technicians were working from computer-generated asset cards to do lubrication activities. Maintaining this archaic system was not easy.

During its review of several CMMS packages, LE realized that a CMMS would be more time-consuming to implement than a simple computerized lube route system. At the time, the main goal was to quickly get a better handle on lubrication reliability practices, however, many of the CMMS packages reviewed did not incorporate lubrication, or their lubrication components would have been cumbersome to implement. After many discussions, LE came to the conclusion that adopting a CMMS system did not make sense at that time for its five person, one shift maintenance department. Having made this decision, LE was able to proceed more rapidly with the rest of its journey.

Plant Survey

LE’s mechanical assets include 177 gearboxes and gear reducers, 119 electric motors, 51 pumps and 21 stirring vessels, as well as compressors and additional miscellaneous equipment. The entire facility was surveyed and each lubrication point on each asset was identified. This helped the facility visualize the amount and type of equipment it was performing maintenance on and gave it a blueprint to start managing the equipment more efficiently. This is a critical step in the process and should not be skipped.

Lube Room

Lubricants are the lifeblood of mechanical assets throughout any facility. LE regards them as assets, not consumables. In fact, LE looks at lubricants as its number one asset. Just like any other asset, lubricants need to be maintained properly and used properly for specific applications. A well-equipped lube room will protect these fluid assets so you can sleep at night.

LE purchased a new lubrication storage system and created a dedicated lube room (Figure 4). This made it evident to all employees that the company was serious about reliability. The maintenance team took ownership of this new lube room and storage system, and they are very proud of it.

This created momentum in the lubrication reliability journey, which became increasingly evident as the maintenance team began to think of more ways to improve machine uptime.

Lubricant Identification

All lube points were tagged according to product number and color-coding that matched the storage system tanks was implemented. This helped make lubrication a smarter, more streamlined process for the team and it raised the knowledge level of each team member.

Lube Route Software

After a search of available software solutions, LE purchased lubrication reliability software to manage all its lube tasks. The quick turnover to this system enabled LE to keep its mechanical assets running and minimize downtime. With the software, LE was able to assign lubrication routes and schedules to team members who took ownership of the process to ensure “their” equipment was maintained properly.

The software significantly improved LE’s ability to manage the lubrication of its mechanical assets and helped the facility organize its approach to handling maintenance activity.

Results

By implementing all these steps on its reliability journey, LE has seen a major reduction in the cost of equipment repairs and maintenance. From 2006 to 2008, LE documented an annual average expenditure of $243,000. In 2009, the first full year after lubrication reliability changes, this annual number dropped dramatically to $83,000. LE spent an average of $76,000 annually in the five years since the program was implemented on repairs and maintenance of equipment (Figure 5).

Using condition-based monitoring and oil analysis, LE also drastically decreased its oil usage. From 2008 to 2013, annual lubricant usage dropped from 449 gallons to 67 gallons, for a savings of more than $11,000.

Reducing lube change-outs, as well as repair and maintenance tasks, contributed to significant labor savings. In 2008, 672 hours of labor were dedicated to maintenance and repair tasks; in 2013, that dropped to 120, for a savings of nearly $10,000 (Figure 6).

Looking back, the main drivers that helped LE on this journey were:

• Supportive top-down leadership;
• Willingness to invest equally in both people and mechanical assets;
• Detailed plan of attack;
• Patience (organizational stamina);
• Quantification of results.

With similar drivers in place, your organization can achieve the same positive results. The most important thing to do is take that first step and get started. Soon, you will be on your way to finding the hidden plant within your facility.

Darren Booth, CLS and vice president of Manufacturing Operations, has worked for Lubrication Engineers, Inc. for 25 years. Darren currently oversees plant operations, consisting of manufacturing, product handling, traffic and maintenance. Through his role in helping implement lubrication reliability throughout the operation, he has been a catalyst in lowering LE’s total cost of ownership of its mechanical assets.

Choose Continuous Improvement over Lean Manufacturing

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29408/lean-continuous-improvement

Some organizations misuse lean manufacturing to overwork their people and reduce the overall headcount. Let me assure you, I am not arguing to counter the fact that reducing the headcount will save money. In the short term, it most certainly will save money. However, this savings in headcount does come at a higher cost.

Some managers seek headcount reduction because they associate fewer operators with increased profits. Elimination of headcount for this reason yields poor results culturally. Soon after launching a campaign such as this, operators will start noticing the intent. This will lead to a refusal to cooperate with any effort to reduce headcount and eliminate waste. The operators will begin to adamantly resist changes because they are fearful of losing their job or possibly contributing to a co-worker’s job loss. This causes stress, conflict, finger-pointing and eventually failure. It also is a surefire way to pit management against the shop floor.

This lack of understanding has left a bad taste in the mouths of many shop-floor employees. Likewise, it has also contributed to the conquered attitude of many managers because they have attempted this idea of “lean” before and have seen it fail more than once. Understandably, this is frustrating for an organization’s leadership as well as other employees. It leads me to the opinion that the word “lean” might need to be eliminated from our vocabulary for a while.

I think when leaders focus strictly on lean, they inevitably pay more attention to the dollar numbers. While the dollar numbers are important, there are other elements within an organization that far outweigh the bottom dollar. These elements create awe-inspiring flexibility and opportunity for future growth.

It is my opinion that running a lean organization is actually a by-product of continuous improvement philosophies, specifically the eighth waste (the underutilization of people). When you focus your sights on lean and lean alone, you miss the bigger picture.

Culture is the most important element to true organizational maturity. Continuous improvement philosophy zeroes in on culture and stimulates its development. It focuses on the people and the success of the organizational team. Its aim is to involve and engage everyone, to educate and stimulate the minds of the people. It requires everyone’s engagement, commitment and trust. It is culture-driven and will help the company grow. Everyone should be trained on its ideals and philosophies.

For a continuous improvement organization to truly thrive, leadership must dedicate at least 85 percent of its efforts to the development of employees through training, influence and on-the-job training. Once the majority of the organization understands the philosophy, then and only then is it time to move to the next step. Otherwise, resistance will remain at the doorstep.

The remaining 15 percent can then be dedicated to implementing the actual tools and engaging employees. The employees who own the process need to make the change and improve the organization’s current state (with assistance from a trained continuous improvement team). Not only does this encourage them, but it also increases the chance that the change will be sustained and standardized.

Organizational leaders must be careful not to put the cart before the horse. You cannot simply read or benchmark other companies and expect that you can photocopy that into your organization. You have to remember a picture is a snapshot in time. It does not tell you what happened before the picture was taken. Therefore, you cannot expect significant, highly profitable changes too fast. You cannot have the baby without going through the labor, so to speak.

Let’s get “lean” out of our heads and start communicating continuous improvement. It’s broader, includes everyone (especially the operators) and will provide long-term gains. Let’s train, empower and engage rather than cut time, rebalance and lay off. 

About the Author

Eric Bigelow

Eric Bigelow is an industrial engineer and continuous improvement professional. He is currently a lean coordinator located in Spirit Lake, Iowa. He has trained numerous individuals in lean ... Read More

Why Improvement Efforts Fail

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29248/improvement-efforts-fail

Why do improvement efforts fail or perhaps not sustain the recent gains? There are many reasons, but those most often stated are "lack of commitment" and not "following the process." But why is there lack of commitment, and why aren't processes followed? Here are a few of the most common reasons:

Too Much Focus on Tools Instead of People

Analytical tools and improvement process steps are important, but people are more important. It's not about "selling" them or using "change management" tools to have them accept whatever the "really smart" people have come up with. It's about involving them (all of them) and having them own the process.

Communication Not Emphasized, Structured

Without communication, paranoia develops between work groups, shifts, departments, individuals, etc. This destroys involvement and ownership. Casual (now and again) conversations and major presentations are only a small part of what it takes. Communication must be structured and orchestrated, part of the everyday routine, and flow both ways.

Not Knowing and Respecting What is Already in Place

Every organization does some things well, and the people there have pride in their particular organization (despite what they might tell you). To ignore this is insulting and arrogant. Too many times the "everything here is wrong" attitude is evident (and sometimes outright stated) by program "experts." Setting up "negative waves" like this never helps. Use what is in place as a start.

Developing the Elite vs. the Majority

Improvement is an "everyone" thing. It's too easy to just work with the bright, energetic people and count on them to carry it all. Most people are hesitant or unwilling to accept what they haven’t had some involvement in developing or improving. Besides, this ignores a huge pool of capability. Everyone brings something to the table, but some may be unwilling to share for many reasons, such as their past ideas may have been criticized or not welcomed, there are peer-pressure issues, trust issues, etc. Sincere, routine involvement efforts can overcome these obstacles.

Improvement Events vs. Routine Improvement

While big events are good at generating interest and knocking out a lot of work in a short time, the heart and soul of sustaining improvement is getting a solid, everyday, routine process to have everyone continually dealing with the many small opportunities.

Focusing on Solving Specific Issues Rather than Developing People

It's easy to get absorbed in solving specific issues and using specific problem-solving techniques instead of using the issue-solving process as a way to develop people. Of course, there will always be plenty of issues and opportunities to deal with. The scarcer commodity is the capability to deal with them. Even rarer is the ready motivation to do so.

About the Author

John Crossan

Currently working as a consultant, John Crossan retired after spending 30-plus years with the Clorox Company. His roles for much of the past 14 years were mainly focused on improving operations by ... Read More

How to Foster a Culture of Involvement

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29196/culture-of-involvement

Building a culture of involvement that includes self-managed work teams is undoubtedly the most challenging of all leadership endeavors, but it is also the most rewarding. Great leaders involve employees from all levels in the business operations. By creating an environment of trust and openness and developing a culture of risk-taking, leaders are able to turn over the responsibility of the daily operations to the employees. These leaders recognize the need and take active steps to produce ownership within the ranks.

The key here is involvement, and the critical question is: "How do you involve employees and motivate them to take ownership?" The best companies know that employees who feel involved in the business feel trusted. This trust helps to create a sense of ownership. A sense of ownership enables employees to empower themselves, making them happier, more fulfilled, productive and loyal.

It is important to note that you cannot empower employees. However, you can provide them with the environment, the tools and the resources to empower themselves.

Keep in mind that the process of involvement is tricky. It takes work, and all supervisors, managers and leaders must be on board. There must be consistency in the rollout, support and accountability processes. For most organizations, especially manufacturing organizations, the level of involvement is very low, if not non-existent.

Deciding to implement a process of involvement is about making dramatic cultural change. You will face resistance. The roadblocks to involvement include:

• Lack of trust – Most employees will be suspicious of a leadership team that has, in the minds of its members, suddenly decided to involve them, ask their advice and listen to their ideas.
• Fear – Employees will quickly realize that they will be required to learn new skills and perform additional responsibilities. They will worry about what happens if they make a mistake (will they be disciplined or lose their jobs?) or if they are not able to learn the new skills (will they lose their jobs, be moved to less desirable positions or be forced to take a pay cut?).
• Resentment – Employees may resent taking on more responsibility, especially with tasks that they perceive to be management's responsibilities.

Despite the challenges and frustrations during the process, creating a culture of involvement is worth the investment. When I worked for Textile Services (Disney's laundries), I was fortunate to have been a member of a committee that changed the laundry operations from a typical, autocratic, authoritarian operation to one of involvement and self-managed work teams. During the process, we thought often of giving up, but in the end the perseverance paid off.

At the end of one year, we saw light at the end of the tunnel. Within the next two to three years, we managed to change the culture, despite the fact that more than 40 percent of the workforce had tenure of 20 to 25 years. When I left Disney three years ago, the culture of involvement was still firmly in place and had been the mode of operation for their business for more than 12 years. The benefits realized from directly involving the employees in all levels of the business were:

• Turnover was reduced from 60 percent to an average of 5 percent annually.
• Prior to the cultural change, the plant ran with four managers per shift, for a total of eight managers per day. This number was reduced to one manager per shift, for a total of two per day.
• On the annual survey, more than 80 percent of the employees stated that they were very proud to say that they worked for Textile Services.
• The customer survey ratings improved dramatically to more than 80 percent satisfaction with all aspects of customer service.
• Outsourcing was no longer a threat.

5 Tactics for Creating a Culture of Involvement

Below are the tactics that we used at Textile Services to create a culture of involvement within the laundry operations. They should be considered guidelines and a good place to start.

Tactic 1: Communicate the vision and ensure everyone is on the same page, working toward a common goal.

It is imperative that all employees buy into the vision if they are going to assist in the execution of the vision. In most cases, they are not paid more to get involved. Therefore, it is critical that the benefits to the employees are clearly articulated by leadership.

One of the roadblocks at Textile Services in accomplishing this goal was the diversity of the employee base. Employees in the laundries represented 15 countries and spoke seven languages, many of them speaking no English whatsoever. Obviously, communicating the vision in English alone was not the answer.

The committee settled on a more creative method of communication. They scheduled several sessions where employees were released from their positions for approximately one hour. The vision and the mission were presented to all employees in groups of 30 to 40.

The laundry leadership team communicated this important message in English with bilingual translators in the room representing every group. The leaders demonstrated the principles of great service through mini-plays or skits. Employees were encouraged to get involved by giving feedback and asking questions at the end of the session, ensuring clarity of the message and expectations of the employees.

Every employee was required to attend one of the scheduled sessions. For those who were not able to attend due to extenuating circumstances, leaders were required to meet one-on-one with these employees to communicate the key message points.

The results were surprising. The vast majority of employees was on board and excited about the future. This led to an immediate increase in productivity and a buzz of excitement in the plants.

Tactic 2: Create a culture of trust by giving employees the knowledge, skills, tools, resources and parameters to make good decisions, ensuring that they will successfully deliver on the vision.

Providing this level of skill and knowledge can be accomplished in many ways. Informally, daily huddles can be held to share information critical to the day's work. An article in the April 2006 issue of Business 2.0 magazine highlighted how UPS starts each day with a three-minute huddle to keep 220,000 drivers and package handlers on time. These meetings ensure that employees are informed of company announcements, local traffic conditions, customer complaints and even a daily safety tip. The strict 180-second time limit helps enforce the company focus of punctuality.

More formally, monthly meetings and training sessions that facilitate two-way conversations are valuable ways to involve employees. For those employees who may not be comfortable sharing information in a group setting, one-on-one conversations are good ways to get people involved.

Providing tools and resources is critical in supporting self-directed teams. You must determine which tools and resources are necessary for the employees to experience success in their new roles. These tools and resources could be computer training, English-speaking classes, effective communication classes, training for implementing new processes or updated standard operating procedure (SOP) manuals.

Tactic 3: Involve employees in the process for budgeting financial results.

Once employees understand the process for budgeting productivity, purchasing supplies, etc., they are more likely to understand their impact on the budget. However, it is not enough to explain the process. To build trust and commitment toward delivering on the goals of the organization, employees should be involved in creating the budget goals.

Some managers would argue that employees cannot possibly create budget goals. Although it may be true that some employees have limited education and cannot comprehend the complicated process of budgeting, only by having a hands-on experience will employees understand their role in making the business successful. They will realize that it is they, the frontline employees, whose primary interaction with the customer has the true ability to impact the customer experience. Employees who are involved in creating the budget will understand their value and importance to the organization. They now have a sense of control over their own destinies, making the connection that success for the organization means success for them.

Tactic 4: Develop training that creates interaction within departments and with customers.

Great training is about more than a strong on-the-job (OJT) training program. Certainly nothing replaces a good OJT program, but consider enhancing it with a cross-utilization or job-shadow program. This type of training builds camaraderie, relationships and empathy for one another's positions. It is especially helpful in situations where the success of one department is reliant on the success of another.

Tactic 5: Build continuous improvement into every step of the operation.

Teach employees the process for measuring operational efficiencies and challenges, and involve them in the continuous improvement process by asking for their opinions and ideas. This is how you leverage the talent, knowledge and experience of your employees. No one knows better than the frontline employees what is and isn't working. They understand where you can gain operational efficiencies to impact the business in a positive way.

A word of caution: The mistake that many managers make is that they ask but do not act, saying things like: "We can't do that," "We don't have the money for that," or "It's been tried before, and it didn't work."

The leader's place in this process is to clearly delineate the parameters, provide tools and knowledge, remove roadblocks, and support the employees in their efforts. This means that leaders must implement employee ideas as often as possible. Supporting the employee by implementing their ideas, even if they seem small and insignificant, builds the leader's credibility and relationships for future endeavors.

Undoubtedly, you will not be able to implement all employee ideas, but what you must do is acknowledge the employee for trying to improve the operation and explain why the idea cannot be implemented. If you do not at least acknowledge employees for their efforts, you may never receive another idea from them, but the most damaging result will be the loss of credibility by the leader.

Reward and recognition is a critical step in the process of continuous improvement and does not have to cost a lot of money. Employees who feel valued are more likely to work harder.

Creating a culture of trust is hard work and means taking risks. Each day, you face the risk that employees will make bad decisions and that those decisions will cost the company money. Taking the time to provide the skills, knowledge, tools and training will not eliminate the risks but will minimize them.

Some employees will carry their sense of involvement to the extreme, despite your best efforts to communicate the parameters. It will be necessary for you to coach and counsel these employees. If they insist on working outside the stated parameters, you may need to take some level of disciplinary action. However, experience has shown that these employees are the exception to the rule and that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More