Sunday, July 16, 2006

Middle management a problem Here's a The New York Times article on Ford. The telling paragraph is toward the end: Insiders have often likened Ford[base ']s middle management to a marshmallow: push on it and it dents; after a short while it just springs back into shape. To be sure, Ford managers have also had to endure a barrage of improvement efforts through the years, from the quality-focused teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, to Six Sigma quality-control methodologies to globalization plans. Hoping to avoid the flavor-of-the-month trap, Mr. Ford says he is examining all aspects of the way Ford operates, "everything from small things like how we[base ']re going to treat each other in meetings to very big things like what about the trappings of our job?" So what's the problem here? Obviously Ford middle management took these very good initiatives as a "flavor of the month" thing. They pay lip service, go to a few meetings, then keep on doing as they have. Had they really adopted Deming in the 80s, Six Sigma and Toyota Production System in the 90s, they'd be sitting a heck of a lot better today. Bill Ford is discovering what John Kennedy discovered after becoming President of the US--the top guy can issue an order, but the bureaucracy won't necessarily move. (Read that about Kennedy in Arthur Schlesinger's book "A Thousand Days" about the Kennedy presidency and never forgot it.) That, I think is the genius thing to get from Jack Welch. Read his books and then look for how hard he worked to get his ideas across. It's hard work if there are only a few of you. Imagine trying to get thousands of people to change the way they work. That is the biggest challenge for Bill Ford and Rick Wagoner right now. I give Bill Ford the edge, but I'm not putting all my bets on either one. Question for you--are you one of those entrenched middle managers who doesn't want to change? Want to see your company tank? Better get moving. Is Ford Running on Empty?. William Clay Ford Jr., the head of Ford Motor, could be the family member who resurrects one of the biggest companies on earth [~] or the last Ford to run it. By MICHELINE MAYNARD. [NYT > Business] 4:20:14 PM    comment []