Today’s popular mantra is that you need a good culture to be successful. Culture, we’re told, is essentially everything. This has been echoed by various leading thinkers within our industry for the last 30 to 40 years. But have we gone too far? Have we instead strayed towards developing ‘cults’ rather than ‘cultures’? The Manufacturing… Read more

Employers often feel too embarrassed to praise, recognise or appreciate the work of their employees. Today, this must change. What we now need is humility on the part of our leaders. People development (of which recognition plays a big part) is so important. Without it, businesses fall behind. The Manufacturing Institute’s Business Excellence Coach, Steve… Read more

The manufacturing industry is facing a significant challenge: a shift in demographics. Historically, the ‘baby boomers’ (ages 53 to 63) made up the majority of the workforce. But there’s a ‘silent tsunami’ coming. We’re facing the biggest retirement wave we’ll ever experience. The skills of baby boomers will be washed out of the industry over… Read more

Most manufacturing workforces are currently made up of ‘baby boomers’ (those born between 1946 and 1964). They have extensive knowledge and experience, but this begs the question: what happens when they retire? A soaring skills gap could well be on the cards. However, if you act now, you can harness their expertise for future generations…. Read more

Why don’t we plan? Because it’s more exciting to just see what happens, right? Or perhaps you’re too busy dealing with today to even consider tomorrow. Maybe you simply can’t get the leadership team to agree or don’t have the right data available. Whatever your reason, you need to have a plan – and you… Read more

The innovation process is difficult. It’s a long journey from an idea on a piece of paper to a product on a manufacturing line, so it’s little wonder that 99% of concepts end up in a kind of ‘museum of failed dreams’. Yet innovation is often the only way that small businesses can compete and… Read more

In Jacob Stoller’s book The Lean CEO, he states that 95% of lean transformations fail. The cause? People. So much of the time employees are burnt out, scared or frustrated. But this doesn’t mean you should point the finger of blame at staff. After all, as W. Edwards Deming highlights, that transformation starts with you… Read more

What makes a great leader? Seeing a business through a pandemic? Achieving quick results? Firefighting and expediting are often mistaken for leadership responsibilities. But this belief can in fact hinder an organisation. The Manufacturing Institute’s Leadership and Enterprise Excellence Coach, Adam Buckley, explores the true essence of leadership… Firefighting issues When there’s a burning platform,… Read more