Addressing training needs with PRIDE: changing a work culture requires a clear plan, a good roadmap, and lots of teamwork.The work culture is changing at the Stora Enso
Historically, the mill had a very traditional culture, with decisions made from the top down. Three years ago, Stora Enso purchased the Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids, city (1990 pop. 18,245), seat of Wood co., central Wis., on the Wisconsin River; inc. 1869. Paper, heating equipment, plastics, chemicals, paint, and iron and steel are produced. Paper Mill during its acquisition of Consolidated Papers Inc. Stora Enso brought different expectations of employees union and management to the mill. Stora Enso North America is moving to a "high performance culture" that enables and motivates employees to perform at their best and employees take initiative. A key element is helping employees continually develop their skills and knowledge. In 2002, approximately 50% of all employees--management and hourly--completed individual development plans. Hourly employee plans involved a discussion and focus on three areas: 1. Job competencies (skills and knowledge) 2. Business competencies 3. Leadership and teamwork competencies. Development plans for management employees centered on discussions with their individual managers, concentrating on areas for growth. Individual development plans give employees a training focus for the year. UNION AND MANAGEMENT COOPERATION Union and management collaborated to develop a "Business Basics" class to help employees understand how to interpret financial reports and make better business decisions. A similar technique addressed leadership and team development needs. Computer training, analytical troubleshooting, and papermaking knowledge are also targets. Even before compilation of data from the individual development plans, obvious gaps in technical training were evident. A new computer-based training See CBT. (application) Computer-Based Training - (CBT) Training (of humans) done by interaction with a computer. The programs and data used in CBT are known as "courseware." system to provide a systematic approach to hourly skills training was necessary. Abbottsfield Industrial Training Inc. worked with teams of Stora Enso hourly employees to develop an on-line program to meet identified needs. The Wisconsin Rapids paper mill adapted a previously developed SkillsNOW system into PRIDE (Performance Resource for Improvement, Development, and Enhancement). Information about systems, processes, and procedures is now available 24/7 at the touch of a PC keyboard (1) Any keyboard made for the PC. (2) The keyboard introduced with the first IBM PC in 1981 that provided a dual-function keypad for numeric entry and cursor movement. . An hourly systems administrator maintains the system. An employee receives training modules based on the jobs they do or the job for which they have training. All training modules include on-line tutorials, knowledge tests, and field tests. Traditional on-the-job-training continues. Employees "certify" on the jobs they will perform by passing the associated tests. Within three months, 98% of employees had certified on their current jobs. Soon the PRIDE system will tackle OSHA OSHA n. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a branch of the US Department of Labor responsible for establishing and enforcing safety and health standards in the workplace. awareness safety training. As employees gain additional skills and knowledge, they make better decisions that are consistent with business goals. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Randy Krueger, PM16 line manager at the Rapids mill, "The employees are demonstrating considerable "pride" and ownership in the system and their jobs. The result is a very positive trend in employee knowledge and ownership. Production performance is showing highly positive signs." A motivated, highly trained, and involved work force will lead to change the culture of the mill to one of high performance. S! PIMA OFFERS NEW TRANING AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES Stora Enso North America is a Gold Level Mill Sponsor of tire Paper Industry Management Association's 84th Annual International Management Conference, to he held June 29-July 2 in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , This year's program offers a variety of educational programs, including a Human Resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. Roundtable. For information, go to www.pimaweb.com. Also, PIMA's successful Online Training program brings interactive learning on issues such as problem solving problem solving Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. and maintenance/reliability to your desktop. A new safety series is scheduled for later this year. Mary A. Manley is human resource development manager at the Wisconsin Rapids paper mill of Stora Enso North America. |
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