When our experts encounter resistance to change!
The mission seemed fairly straightforward at first: apply management methods and tools at a metallurgy company's production site. The new production manager hired AXSENS to present the methodology, train staff, and implement management processes and tools at the site.
However, when AXSENS senior consultants Laurent and Christophe presented the management methodology, they encountered strong resistance from employees, senior managers, and even the board of directors. The production manager wanted to bring his company into the 21st century, but first he had to convince the rest of the company of the need for such a change.
Laurent and Christophe were ready to take on the challenge. With 50 years of combined experience in implementing industrial methods, they met with management and explained, using basic concepts, how their company could benefit from this set of effective methods and tools.
"We had to tailor our solution to the client's needs. In this case, it wasn't just about management . We had to show the client that change was necessary and beneficial. They are metallurgists, technically very competent people, but they simply didn't have the fundamentals," said Laurent. "It takes time, listening skills, and empathy to get people to be open to change," added Christophe. "After taking that time, we gained some allies who supported us."
Encouraged, they then identified 22 areas for improvement and created a dashboard consolidating the performance of each stage of manufacturing. Finally, they proposed a roadmap for transformation, starting from the ground up.
Since then, employees at the site have capitalized on the new processes put in place and recognize the efficiency gains they have achieved. "Even employees who were initially strongly opposed to the change are now champions of the new methods," said Mr. Laurent. The company has retained the services of AXSENS to support them in the next stages of their industrial transformation. Laurent and Christophe aim to help the client establish a culture of continuous improvement supported by a site-wide transformation plan and associated performance measures. It will be a challenge, but now that employees have accepted the change, the hardest part is over.
