How to Grind Your Organization to a Standstill—Part 2

In my last post I started a sarcastic post on how to bring your organization to a standstill… not because I want that, but so you can see what NOT to do to in order to improve your organization. Many of the ideas are based on the US Simple Sabotage Field Manual and the Total Resistance: Swiss Army Guide to Guerilla Warfare and Underground Instructions, but adapted to a modern factory environment. Below I continue the list of ideas for how to screw up your company. I’m sure you have seen some of them in action, even though they were not intended that way. Again: This is for you to see what NOT to do. Please enjoy!

Extra (Paper) Work

Strictly adhere to every single regulation, policy, and guideline relevant to your industry, regardless of how seemingly insignificant, regardless of internal or external.  In case of doubt, ask for verification. Require proper documentation about every step, no matter how minor it is. Establish a multi-layered approval process for even routine tasks. Require that each document or report be reviewed and signed off by multiple levels of management or relevant departments. This not only increases the amount of paperwork but also ensures that everything is scrutinized thoroughly.

Mandate that employees produce regular, detailed reports on their activities, regardless of their scope. These reports should cover daily, weekly, or monthly activities, capturing every detail about the progress, setbacks, or changes in procedures. These reports should also be stored for future reference, ensuring that a comprehensive record of all actions is maintained. Of course, these reports should be presented in a group and audited.

Mistakes as a Weapon

If possible, create duplicate entries in databases and of important documents. Extra points if they differ slightly. Then file them both incorrectly. If it is a handwritten document, write it as badly as you can. Misleading phrases and confusing terms will greatly increase the chances of mistakes. Small errors can have large impacts.

You yourself can also misunderstand orders. Ask endless questions or engage in long correspondence about such orders. Quibble over them when you can.

Heat, cold, monotony, noise, and fatigue reduce the attention span and increase mistakes. Tools to make work better like work standards or mistake proofing (Poka Yoke) are just a waste of time, so feel free to skip them.

In general, the simpler a process is, the more robust it will be. Hence, opt for the fanciest and most complex technology, machine, method, or tool you can find. Why do something as simple as a Hoshin Kanri when you could do an X-Matrix instead? Why use a computer-free karakuri-kaizen when there are so much fancier Industry 4.0 solutions possible?

Material Incompetence

Who needs safety stocks? Surely not you, after all, you are Just in Time (JIT). Order as late as possible, leading to  a possible stock-out. Maybe even order only if you are actually out of stock? Bonus points if this is during the ramp-up of a new product or during peak season. Ignore FIFO, and use the newest material first, as it should be only the best for the customer.

If the material finally arrives, just put it somewhere where the forklift driver can find a space. You will find it again when you need it… probably.

As for your deliveries, never send a partial delivery. Ship only once everything is complete, checked, and verified. This way not only your company, but also the customer, will enjoy the fruits of this behavior.

Design Shenanigans

When developing new products, use highly customized parts. Why use a M6 screw if you can get a custom made M5.5 screw. Make sure you don’t use the same screw in more than one project. Use a different diameter, length, drive type, coating, and strength to make sure everything is unique. The same applies to all other materials. Avoid standard parts, use slightly different standard parts, or try to avoid reusing existing designs. Design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) (or DFMA for both) just take up precious time and resources of the design department.

In any case, order the best and highest quality material, regardless whether you need it. The waste of over-specification is a myth. Gold plate everything—even robust parts that the customer will never see and need an anti-corrosive coating.

Quality? What Quality?

Save money on quality. Good enough is plenty. Testing is optional, and most tests can be skipped. Similar to design for manufacturing and assembly, design for quality is optional. Save money on packaging. If it breaks at the customer, then it surely must be his fault. Blame him, and avoid blame as long as possible. Bonus points for extra paperwork.

Lack of Support Functions

Maintenance is also a waste of money. Let cutting tools grow dull. Let lubricants go old. Cleaning and organization is also not needed. Skip 5S and visual management. Just imagine how much time and money you save by skipping the maintenance.

The same applies to service. No matter whether it is service for the customer or internal IT services, people will eventually figure it out themselves, right? In that vein, training is for wussies. Just put the new operator on the line and tell him to figure it out. As a manager, try to be promoted to somewhere else within three years; otherwise you may look bad.

Again, the above is ALL SARCASM. Do the above if you want to stop your organization. On the other hand, if you want to improve your organization (yes, please!), see which of the above do unintentionally happen in your company. Even though I don’t know which company you work for, I’m sure there are plenty of examples from above that you have seen and are happening every week. Pretty much all of the examples above, from the email KPI to the M5.5 screw and more, I have seen in reality. Can you try to reduce such handicaps and time-wasters? Can you coach your people to become more efficient? I’m sure you can. Now, go out, don’t sabotage your own company, and organize your industry!