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Building
Trust
A Key Element in Worker Productivity
 Building trust between workers and
management is a critical element in building a productive and innovative
organization. In the 1970's and the 1980's, American auto makers
were fighting fierce competition with Japanese imports. Like
molten lava, the chaos flowed downhill to all auto parts manufacturers
including, Wainwright Industries.
Wainwright Industries is located in St.
Peters, Missouri and has 275 associates and $30 million dollars in sales.
They manufacture parts for the automobile and aerospace industry.
In the 70s and 80s Wainwright discovered
they were no longer competitive. Facing a recession, sales dropped
from $5 to $3 million. Operations slowed to three days a week and
tensions grew between employees and management. The work
environment was deteriorating. The workers were frustrated and a
riff was growing between the front-line worker and management.
So they started changing. The first step was to start calling
the workers, "associates." This one small change lead to even larger
and more meaningful changes. They eliminated time clocks and
everyone was put on a salary. Today, associates are paid even if
they miss work and paid time-and-a-half for overtime. Trust between
worker and management took a giant leap forward.
Next came the uniforms. No more ties
and white shirts for managers and blue shirts for the workers.
Everyone in the organization now wears a uniform, including the chairman
and the professional staff. The uniform consists of a pair of black
slacks and a white pinstripe shirt. On the shirt each person has
their name emblazoned on one side and the other side has "Team
Wainwright." Of course, not everyone liked the idea at first. Now
everyone accepts it and feels it is more practical. A team of
associates developed a profit sharing program for everyone at Wainwright.
The team consisted of one manager and seven non-management associates.
Ownership developed propelling them down the track at a faster pace.
Yes, even the books are open for everyone to see. No
secrets...everyone has access to the financial records.
As in most industries, training remains the
discriminator between average businesses and those that are exceptional.
Wainwright's emphasis on training created "employability security" within
each associate. Even when the economy dips and work slows down,
Wainwright does not automatically layoff workers. They attempt to
reassign as many of them as possible--no promises made. If they have
to let someone go, they have at least provided them with training and
skills making them more employable for other jobs or in another industry.
The feeling of trust and equality they have
created has paid back in many results. Attendance records show the
proof. Except in 1994, when attendance dipped to 98.9%, but ever
since 1984, attendance has consistently averaged 99 percent. Not
only is there an increased feeling of trust, equality and ownership, but
profits have grown from $5 million to $30 million. Here are a few
other ways to help build trust.
Do:
- Look out for people and their best
interests
- Treat people with dignity
- Show confidence in their ability
- Listen carefully to what people are
saying
- Deliver on the promises you make
- Be authentic and share yourself openly
- Feel free to admit your own mistakes
- Include others in decision making
processes
- Always tell the truth
Don't:
- Jump to conclusions before you have the
facts
- Blame people for problems they have no
control over
- Hold back information although it is bad
news
- Avoid taking responsibility
- Feel like you have to have all the
answers
- Make excuses when it doesn't work the
way you wanted
- Be a perfectionist
Gregory P. Smith is a management expert,
speaker and helps organizations solve problems. For further information
please call (770)860-9464.
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