Lack of Trust Inhibits Growth
Owners (two brothers) of a small electronic component manufacturing company inquired, implying there were personnel conflicts. They had recently added two managers, one in charge of sales, the other in manufacturing where previously there was no manager. There seemed to be “conflict between many different employees.” After spending time with the group, understanding their needs, and interviewing employees, it seemed there was a lack of trust among themselves, and with the owners.,and possibly employees in the wrong chairs.
The sales manager Tommy was with the company for eleven years, was “very outspoken, and sometimes perceived a distraction, but was very well-liked by his employees” walked out one day, and was replaced. The new manager was “not being received well.” There were also conflicts within production. Conflicting ideas on ordering supply, and inventory levels. Also, the owners had different ideas and were constantly changing their minds on operations. It was suggested, “I talk with Tommy.” I did. There was some lack of trust among themselves across the entire company.
There was an agreement for across-the-board assessments. The teams took performance, predictive, and situational-based assessments. Even the owners participated. Results were shared first with the owners, and we quickly came to some unifying conclusions. Then the assessments were shared individually with the employees. A complete restructuring took place as four employees were given different roles. Tommy returned under the same role (sales manager) with added duties – specifically focussing on his teams’ performance. A new position was created for the new-hire sales manager, David, to seek new business in a newly created market -that the company wanted to target for some time. David had an impressive background with a lot of experience in this field with many contacts. Everyone agreed to “put our best talent on the biggest opportunity” (it quickly proved true). The owners also changed a few of their approaches, dividing some responsibilities, and removing a few overlaps.
Teams took on daily meetings. Once-a-week company-wide meetings began. They focused on “ideas across departments” (previously was non-existent). Incentives and performance reviews were introduced within the company. Within six months the company was experiencing a newly optimistic culture of unity and teamwork. New contracts were acquired manufacturing two new electronic components, with a company sales increase of 200% adding four employees to manufacturing. This is a great team with great people. At times, being immersed in daily operations makes it difficult to recognize the hidden opportunities stemming from the psychological dynamics within your organization.