This article is about increasing productivity and at the same time improving the employee job satisfaction by changing the work-place environment. Work-place change requires a continuous commitment by senior management over years. It involves focusing the entire work force including management on making continuous improvements to the processes leading to the end products or services of the organization. Focusing on process innovation rather than end results can attain better end results. The Japanese term for making continuous improvements to processes is called Kaizen (pronounced Ky’zen). It involves a total commitment to quality, the serious consideration of employee contributions and the pushing down of decision-making authority to its lowest level of effectiveness. Authority for decision making should be given to the employee who is actually doing the work as long as that employee is committed to improving the processes, which he performs. If several employees are involved with the performance of set of processes then “Work Improvement Teams ” (sometimes called by other names such as “Quality Circles”) should be put in place. I have already indicated how to implement these teams in Article 1. I will repeat the approach again.

First form the Work Improvement Teams (WIT) one for each organizational Function. A department may include a number of Functions but each employee usually works in only one Function. The WITs should meet at a scheduled time once a week and be moderated by a facilitator until they understand the process and elect their new leader. They should receive special training in how to make Process flow charts, histograms or any tool, which they may actually use in their analyses. After a sufficient time has elapsed for the WITs to become successful. The bottom level of supervision is then eliminated. It is interesting note how many of the former supervisors were elected as team leaders. All pay increases should be based on merit, usually based on recommendations from the WIT. Across the board increases should be reserved for cost of living. The second level of management should then be reviewed for its functional requirement and it too may be eliminated. Only this time WITs are not needed at this level. It is very rewarding to see employees genuinely excited about their jobs.