It’s Probably Not What You Think
The seemingly never-ending COVID pandemic coupled with worldwide civil unrest appear to be threatening our norms as never before.
In some quarters, it is no longer fashionable to be patriotic. In others – sometimes just across the street – you are labelled a miscreant if you don’t fly a dozen U.S. flags on your dwelling.
Who says our national and global cultures aren’t changing?
Not me. Heck, there are disagreements between my own family members on whether vaccinations are the solution to conquering the pandemic.
And we don’t argue politics anymore. There is too little room for accommodations on either side of the aisle.
But culture changes all the time.
The only variable is the rate at which it changes.
Let’s leave national and global culture behind and explore a chapter from our book, On The Plant Floor, about manufacturing plant culture.
Building Manufacturing Plant Culture
If one considers that culture comes in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the billions who adhere to a particular religious culture all the way down to a small pub culture, it is not a stretch to understand that any group of people can form or adopt a “micro-culture”.
Every manufacturing plant has a culture that either grew organically or arose from circumstances and geography.
Let’s look at a few of them.
Regionalism
If you have ever heard the term “Yankee Memorial Day”, you can bet you weren’t in Minnesota. Regionalism is still very real.
Cultural norms around procedures and dealing with others in a plant vary significantly around the country.
It doesn’t matter if this cultural phenomenon makes sense or not, ignore it at your peril.
This does NOT mean that any form of discrimination or unequal treatment should be tolerated. Far from it.
Just be aware that a regional culture can exist.
Nepotism
If you are an elected official, preferentially granting contracts to your brother is nepotism, and it is a crime.
However, if you are a plant manager deciding to hire your best operator’s brother, it is probably a great idea.
That operator will keep his brother on the straight-and-narrow better than any of your supervisors.
A culture of positive nepotism can benefit all and promote harmony.
Don’t be afraid of nepotism in the workplace just because the word has a negative connotation.
Work Hours
Work hours can be among the most contentious issues in a manufacturing plant.
Lately, we have seen a clear example in hospitality employees who have fled the industry, no longer willing to put up with long, irregular hours, often at low pay.
Plant culture can range from fighting for overtime hours to a flat refusal to work overtime.
The best cultures are those where overtime is assigned fairly and equitably, with a nod to regionalism and other cultural influences.
Managers play a very large role in the administration of overtime plans. If you are a new supervisor, you will discover that very few things will impact your success more than how you handle overtime issues.
Harassment: Race, Religion, and Sexual Orientation
We aren’t lawyers and don’t pretend to be, but these issues can be very powerful factors in plant culture.
With the assistance of your Human Relations group, understand the inherent cultural implications and be prepared to deal with them.
Without doubt, we don’t recommend anyone – even those with long years of experience – rely on “gut feeling” when dealing with this kind of issue.
Unionized and Non-Unionized Cultures
In our chapter on building culture, we rhetorically ask: “What are the differences between managing in a Union-Free plant compared to a Union Plant?”
Our answer might come as a surprise. Not much.
Some of the best advice I ever received came from my first boss who told me: “If you ever manage a non-union factory, run it like you would a union factory.”
Although this sounds counter-intuitive, a union plant relies on a contract that specifies work rules and grievance procedures while a well-run, union-free plant relies on a clear and equitably administered handbook – which is essentially a contract between the company and its associates.
If you have a good employee handbook, you probably have a good plant culture.
If you don’t, your plant culture is probably in need of improvement.
Plant Culture is a Lot Like Social Culture
Change is inevitable. The only variable is the rate of change.
But you can work to understand, build, and improve your plant culture for the betterment of your operation – and everyone who works there.
And, in our experience, you will find great satisfaction in helping to improve that culture.
