Stories from behind the windscreen
As a young boy in the mid-90s, Janne worked as a summer worker in a windscreen factory. The workplace rotated, and he was gradually introduced to the job. He quickly learned how to do it, but even faster he learned how to do it. only how to do it.
”I remember three stopping moments,” says Janne:
”If you raise like that, you'll be unable to work in 20 years.” My first contact with ergonomics came not from a manager, but from a colleague. It stuck with me because it was personal - someone noticed me and wanted me to go beyond the end of this shift.
”Glass as glass. Come on.” It was meaningful to me that we made just that one sports car windscreen - but you couldn't say it out loud on the line. The culture didn't allow for enthusiasm. The meaning remained private, even though it could have been a source of motivation for the whole team.
Cake coffee without a story. We achieved a goal, but nobody told us what it was. A celebration without understanding remained a momentary interruption, not a shared success. Fortunately, the cake was good.
How do I lead my team?
Managing production is more than managing machines, schedules and deliverables. It's also about managing people - or at least it should be. In many manufacturing plants, there is still a culture of managing primarily for the bottom line and efficiency metrics, while ignoring what ultimately generates sustainable productivity: the skills, understanding and commitment of people.
That's why we recommend that you, as a leader, stop at it, do you run a production or a manufacturing plant?
Production is based on day-to-day operations, but its future is built on the ability to evolve. We would therefore like to draw your attention to our idea of professional development, inspired by Gary Hamel:
Operational work - production, processes and day-to-day performance - is done with obedience, diligence and competence. Day in, day out, the same processes are running and getting done. Often, in production management, these are enough, because the result is done in the here and now. But who will ensure that tomorrow we will know more, do better and still exist?
The competitive advantage of individuals, and therefore of communities, comes from initiative, creativity and passion. These are reflected in a willingness to try new things, to develop and drive processes forward, and in the ability to ask how things could be done better. These are things that cannot be managed by metrics and processes - they are managed by managing people. By getting to know them and their interests, by helping them to move forward, by supporting their motivation and cooperation.
To simplify a bit, we can say that ’management’ type leadership works at the bottom of the pyramid. It ensures that things are done right. ’Leadership’ in turn ensures that the top of the pyramid is achieved - i.e. that, in the longer term. doing the right things.
Both styles of leadership are needed, but with different emphasis in different situations. In particular, when building the future of manufacturing, the ability to look beyond the individual job to the whole value chain and the learning capacity of the organisation is needed.
Lead production through people
When you only manage the plant, you optimise the system. When you manage production through people, you build the future. It's easy to follow a curve that tells you how much of the final product was produced. It's much harder to see who learned something new. Who became interested in the development idea. Who went home proud of their work.
Production management is the ability to see people as part of the whole, which makes equipment and processes relevant. There is a big difference between managing the efficiency of a production facility and managing the human power of production.
Ultimately, it's not just about how well the production line is running today, but whether something more is created around it - skills, pride, learning and a sense that your work matters. When Janne looks back on his summer working days decades ago, it's not the production figures he remembers, but the moments when he was noticed as a person. You can run a production plant with charts and indicators, but production - people working together - needs to be led with heart, understanding and direction.
Next time you walk through a factory floor or look at a productivity report, ask yourself:
Would I manage this differently if I remembered that future competitiveness starts with someone feeling that their work is meaningful today?
