Conference 7.286::digital

1456.0. "Back To Basics...The Simpler the Better We'll Be" by BTOVT::REDDING_DAN (job higgledy-piggledy) Fri May 03 1991 10:01

                     Predictions from Sum'Tin Neu, in '92 

   In todays higgledy-piggledy world of fast change, many games are being
 played on the corporate ping pong tables. It's often refered to as 
 "let's pretend."  So, let's play pretend for just a few moments, O.K.?
 Plant staff makes a landmark decision. and charters an airplane to
 meet with Augusta' plant staff.  In flight, the plane develops engine
 trouble and is forced to land in the remote wilderness of Maine' Alligash
 Region.  All people onboard the plane survive but, forgive the expression
 "can't find their way out of the woods,"  thus declared lost forever!
 Meanwhile life at this facility continues to struggle, when one day, a
 worker named Sum'Tin Neu comes along and suggest the following reorganization
 for the BTO facility, from Plant Manager down to the worker bees. Sum'Tin
 being a gifted individual, possesses great powers of foresight in the
 simplification of corporate hierarchical approaches and suggests a 
 3 tierd approach to solving the upsidedown management pyramid question. 
 Simply drawn, Sum' pyramid represents a solid foundation from which to
 build a business, that will remain in business, longer than 12 to 18 months.

                       Plant Staff Managers  
                                 |
                                 |
                     Team and Project Leaders 
                                 |
                                 |
                   *WorkersWorkersWorkersWorkers

   Plant Staff Mgrs; total number of representatives not to exceed 5 and
 does not have a titled plant manager position.  Only the members of this
 staff would be allowed to hold the title of "Manager."   All other unessential
 managerial job titles would be laid to rest.  Those laid to rest saleries
 would be reinvested into "growing the business" stated Sum'Tin Neu.

  Team / Project Leaders;  This group would have a maximum of 10 team/project 
 leaders.  Each leader would be responsible for 30 to 45 direct reports,
 called workers.  All in between levels will be eliminated and the money
 normally spent on salaries will be reinvested into "growing the business."

  The Workers: self explainatory 

 * Workers: A group of hard working, sincere and "almost" unemployed people
            located somewhere with in the bottom 1/2 of the pyramid.  Must
            post for all open job positions and except "lateral transfer"
            status.  Science holds little hope in resurrecting this almost
            extinct species.



   Now along comes Sum'Tin Neu' cousin.  His name is Tri Sum'Tin Neu.  
 Tri Sum'Tin Neu is a good listener as he absorbs and ponders over his
 cousins reorganizational thoughts. Then Tri Sum'Tin said, "it is a simple
 plan and for once in a long long time, all the fingers of the hand would
 be working together."  Tri Sum'Tin then said I have an ingredient to add
 to your thoughts and it appears in my mind in this order....
 
    Engineering................(insert selection here)
     facilities
    Personnel..................(  "        "       " )
     security
     office services
     training
    Manufacturing..............(  "        "       " )
     product mataq
     support mataq
     production control
     quality assurance
     distribution   
    Finance....................(  "        "       " )
     D.C.U.
     long range investments
    Customer Services..........(  "        "       " )
     IM&T
     CCD
     CSI/VIS
     Consulting Serv.

                                Time passes 
                              in the staffless 
                            facility. Sum'Tin and
                          Tri Sum'Tin Neu continued
                        sharing their ideas and asking
                      fellow employees for input to the 
                     reorganization. You see, both cousins
                  believed that communication and the sharing
               of ideas created an impenetrable nucleus. And from
             the nucleus would develop a pearl.  Months later, their 
         ideas were listened to and communicated to all employees in this
      facility. Their pearl of an idea became the admiration throughout the
    industry and every employee had a job forever and ever, so the story goes.