This is an excerpt from an interview Generis Group did with InDepth Engineering Solutions, following the American Automotive Summit 2018. “The automotive industry is looking at a global skills shortage in which not enough engineers are sufficiently qualified to support the advancements of emerging technologies or operate sophisticated automated machinery. How does InDepth Engineering Solutions address this talent gap?
Read More →5 Rules of Engagement for Breakout Performance
Whether you work at a small tech startup or a large, established manufacturer, there is an implicit understanding that business success can be easily quantified. Whether you are a CEO or a sales representative, the common wisdom is that there are identifiable numbers that can objectively determine if you are a success or a failure. In a world full of endless layers of nuance and opinion, tangible metrics of business performance are irresistibly attractive. However, there are serious limitations to taking such a binary approach to measuring success. This black and white approach to measuring business success is actually counterproductive, particularly if the goal is to achieve transformative performance improvement.
Read More →Solutions to the Employee Engagement Dilemma
Employers everywhere seem to struggle with the concept of employee engagement. In a recent Gallup Poll, it was determined that only 25 percent of manufacturing employees can be described as engaged. Engagement means different things to different folks; however, in simplest terms, it can be summarized as an effort to provide an environment where everyone contributes toward the success of the organization and feels good about doing so. Only 25 percent of manufacturing employees can be described as “engaged” in the workplace. Through a discussion with Kerwin Everson, VP, Supply Chain Solutions at RMG Networks, this eBook will explore the employee engagement dilemma many companies are facing, how they are attempting to address this problem today and solutions proposed by RMG Networks to improve employee engagement, increase retention and foster a culture of performance.
Read More →Managing the Talent Pipeline: A New Approach to Closing the Skills Gap
America’s education and workforce systems are failing to keep pace with the economy and the new skill sets it requires. The ‘skills gap’ is the disconnect between what skills employers need and what prospective employees are prepared to do. We have people without jobs and jobs that can’t find the right people U.S. employers are increasingly reporting problems finding qualified workers. A poll of 500 American executives by staffing solutions company Adecco found that 92 percent of executives believe there is a serious gap in workforce skills, and nearly 50 percent are struggling to fill jobs. In manufacturing alone, more than 75 percent of manufacturers report a moderate-to-severe shortage of skilled workers, according to a recent study by Accenture and the Manufacturing Institute.
Read More →Managing an Inter-generational Workforce
At the American Manufacturing Summit, Dirk Hilgenberg, VP, Assembly at BMW, shared this chart showing changes in the composition of the civilian labor force from 2004 to 2024. As you can see, the population of workers age 25-34 will remain relatively stable, there will be a decline in those aged 45-54, but as some people live and work longer, there will actually be an increase of those aged 65 and older in the workforce. The result, Hilgenberg says, is that by 2024, we will have three generations of workers on the shop floor with completely different value sets, interests, and abilities. This represents a huge challenge for leadership, team dynamics, and incentives.
Read More →New Year’s Resolutions: Create Successful Teams and a Sound Strategy
Dan Key, SVP, Operations & Supply Chain at Axalta Coating Systems spends a lot of time analyzing successful teams and how they win. He has found that many of them have similar characteristics. They have a system, they hire people that fit that system, and they develop that system over time. They mix A+ players with a lot of B players that know their role in the organization. They’re not afraid to let people go (not even the A+ talent), but rather see it as an opportunity to change and improve. They define a sound strategy that everyone on the team can understand. As we make our New Year’s resolutions to improve our organizations in 2018, consider some of Key’s tips to creating successful teams and a sound strategy.
Read More →Reaching the Manufacturing Talent of Tomorrow
The issue of how to build a steady pipeline of manufacturing talent is one that our thought leaders continually address. The problems are well-established: we are living in a mature economy, and within the next 10 years, the baby boomer generation, on which our manufacturing sector was built, will retire. The generation coming into the workforce is less interested in a career in manufacturing. On top of these shifting demographics, the technical landscape in manufacturing is evolving so much that there is a tremendous skills gap. “By 2024, we will have three generations on the shop floor with completely different value sets, interests, abilities… and this is a huge challenge for leadership, team dynamics, and incentives,” says Dirk Hilgenberg, VP, Assembly at BMW Manufacturing. How do our thought leaders propose we address these problems?
Read More →Millennials in the Workforce: Implications for Manufacturing
As many manufacturing organizations are having trouble maintaining a steady pipeline of talent, their frustration turns to millennials. At the 2016 American Aerospace & Defense Summit, Curt Towne, EVP, New Business Development at TPT (The Productivity Team), gave the following statistics about millennials in the workforce, which have implications for how organizations should recruit, train, engage and retain millennial talent. Millennials are now the single largest group within the workforce, and will soon become the biggest consumer groups, too.
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