The Future of Management
...l be an overall system that will dictate how these are implemented. To stay ahead of the compition, different approaches are being looked at all the time. Benchmarking is an important gage to compare your business other successful companies. In our industry it seems every company is using the same approaches like empowerment, cross function teaming and using the latest buzzwords. Is it enough? We at Varian are taking the best of the systems such as, Kiazen, DFT, JIT, TQM and Lean manufacturing and customizing the principles that will work in our business. All of the company’s management in the future will need to become business savvy. No longer can a manager succeed with the specialized skill that has helped them climb the corporate ladder. With the specialized skills come more tools to utilize. Current managers must be well rounded and flexible while excelling in communication, legal knowledge, strategic planning and implementation, as well as tools for measuring goals with a plan to recover if the plan derails. Manager must understand the needs of the company as it relates to current business conditions and adapt to overcome. During planning stages or strategic planning, the new improved manager will know what tools or skills to use and what they play in the overall plan. Here is an example of new way of managing. It has been my goal since the beginning of the fiscal year to improve the cost of machine rework to 2% of the cost of sale per tool, or $30,000. First I must start with measuring from a starting point. Data from SAP database give the information I am looking for. I look for how much rework is being done, what is the cost and what is root cause. It could be supplier error, engineering design problems or assembly error. In a parall...