'So What are You Going to Do About It?'.

Do you remember when the "big kid" used to glare menacingly at you and taunt, "So what are you going to do about it?"

The kid had caused you a problem, and you told him about it. He then challenged you to do something about it, which wasn't easy because he was big and tough. Odds are, if you were like me, you didn't do anything more significant than mutter something under your breath after the bully turned his back. With that reaction, the problem most likely repeated itself some time later.

The same thing happens to foundries daily, but the bully is more subtle now. Instead of a big kid taunting you, it's a simple line on a report showing that, once again, inclusions are your biggest cause of defects; or that customer on the telephone berating you and your operation because his shipments are late again; or the realization that production is being limited because not enough people showed up for work. Each of these are problems just like the bully. And just like him, you can bet if you don't do something about the problems in your foundry, they will come back.

Learning From Experience

Early in my career, I believed that once a problem was identified, it was well on its way to being solved. I spent a great deal of time developing systems for determining which problems were affecting foundries' performance. Those systems pointed out problems and frequently quantified their effect on the operation. I then would sit back and wait for management to develop a plan for solving the problem and, later, get frustrated when it didn't happen. Of course, the problem would keep coming back.

Experience has taught me that was naive thinking. In many of those cases, management knew there was a problem, even though it may not have known the exact magnitude. So proving how big the problem was helped little in developing a plan to solve it. In fact, it may have just added to managers' frustration, because they weren't sure what to do about the problem.

In fairness to my past managers, the reason plans sometimes weren't developed to address the problem was that it wasn't that important in the grand scheme of things. There were bigger, more important problems that needed their attention at the time. I suffered from a common engineer's delusion that just because we find what we perceive to be a problem, it deserves to be addressed.

Also in fairness, I could have suggested additional plans instead of waiting for management to do all of the work. I'm confident that if I had done that, corrective actions would have been taken, and some of those bullies wouldn't have kept on clobbering us.

With this in mind, here are some recommendations that may help you with your bullies.

Taking Problems to Task

If you're a young foundryman who has discovered a problem in your sphere of authority, make a plan on how to solve it and implement it. You don't have to wait for management to solve every problem. In most cases, management would like nothing more than to hear the problem already has been solved.

If you don't feel that the problem is something that would be right for you to act directly upon, take it to management with a well-thought-out plan. The next best thing to a solved problem for management is a problem with a plan on how to address it. Don't be surprised if they modify the plan, though. Unfortunately, there will be those times when the response to your plan will be, "We tried that, and it didn't work," and you won't be shown anything to learn why it didn't work. Even worse, there might be times when you will submit the plan and then hear nothing. Things are not always done perfectly in the real world.

If you're in management and learn of a problem, the first thing that you should think about doing is deciding how big a problem it is for your operation. If it really isn't a big deal, admit it and move on. If the problem was presented to you by a young foundryman, take the opportunity to show him why the problem isn't that important. Showing the logic behind your decision will give him insight into what you do consider important and, hopefully, show what type of thing he should be working on in the future.

Finding Problems

If management finds a significant problem, it will fall into one of two categories. The first is the type of problem that is deemed really important, and something is done about it. A plan is made, and action is taken. The second category is the one that is seen far too often. It's the true big bully problem--the one that we don't think we can do anything about, so we just accept it.

If you're facing a problem like that remember that the problem will not go away and, in all likelihood, will worsen. If you tried all the things that you can imagine and they didn't work, involve others. The people from your operation, if you listen to them, may know what's causing the problem. If nothing comes from that, solicit suggestions from your suppliers. They may know of someone that solved the same thing that's bugging you. If that also fails, there always are consultants, who bring more to the table than just listening to your employees.

Whatever you do the next time that bully is asking you, "So what are you going to do it about it?," whether it's on a report or the phone, remember that it's not going to get any better unless something is done about it.