| "Managers do not motivate employees by giving them | | | | are instructed and trained to follow them - good or |
| higher wages, more benefits, or new status symbols. | | | | bad. If the process is good then the outcomes are |
| Rather, employees are motivated by their own | | | | good. However, if there is waste and variation built into |
| inherent need to succeed at a challenging task. The | | | | the process the outcomes will neither be consistent |
| manager's job, then is not to motivate people to get | | | | nor predictable. This lack of predictability causes |
| them to achieve; instead, the manager should provide | | | | frustration at all levels within an organization but the |
| opportunities for people to achieve, so they will | | | | frustrations are often magnified at the employee level, |
| become motivated." Frederick Herzberg. | | | | because they live within the processes daily. As such, |
| So what does this theory have to do with process | | | | employees know there is a better way to do things, |
| improvement? When done properly, motivation is a | | | | but management doesn't allow or encourage them to |
| core component to process improvement, total quality, | | | | find it. Even if permission and encouragement is given, |
| 6 Sigma, lean, or whatever other description one uses | | | | it is important that it be done correctly. Without the |
| to express this philosophy that according to W. | | | | proper understanding and knowledge of process |
| Edwards Deming causes 85% to 90% of an | | | | improvement tools to guide the discussions, greater |
| organization's problems. It has been proven time and | | | | frustration is created during the analysis, the decision |
| time again that "bad processes will always squash | | | | process and the improvement phases. |
| good people." | | | | A more effective approach is to provide everyone |
| Typically employees do not go to work with the | | | | with the training necessary to best understand and |
| preconceived attitude of, "I can't wait to get to work to | | | | utilize proven process improvement tools and to |
| see what I can screw up today." Most employees are | | | | create a structure to allow employees to find and |
| committed to doing a good job and providing results. | | | | eliminate variation and/or waste in an existing process. |
| Very often, however, when management does not | | | | Giving employees this opportunity is one way to |
| see the desired or forecast outcomes, they begin the | | | | operationalize Frederick Herzberg's above definition of |
| search for the bad apples. "Who caused this to | | | | motivation. Highly motivated employees who have |
| happen, rather than what caused this to happen?" | | | | been given the opportunity to be involved in process |
| It is our experience that the "what caused this to | | | | improvement will generate accelerated results for the |
| happen" i.e. a bad process, is more often the actual | | | | organization allowing them to run circles around their |
| cause of bad outcomes rather than "who caused it to | | | | competition. Additionally, the results of process |
| happen?". "What caused this to happen" is typically a | | | | improvement when identified and implemented by the |
| defective or ineffective process. In the classic sense a | | | | employees who are actually doing the work achieve |
| process is the series of interrelated steps it takes to | | | | quick, bottom-line economic gains, greater employee |
| complete a task, and this applies to both business and | | | | loyalty with higher moral, and more satisfied customers |
| manufacturing processes. Management designs the | | | | who will be loyal to your products or services. |
| majority of a company's processes and employees | | | | |