Page 432 - Intro Predictive Maintenance

World-Class Maintenance 423

Cross-Functional Supervision

A common approach to the reduction in first-line supervisors is to use production
supervisors to oversee maintenance personnel. This is especially true on back-turns
(i.e., second and third shifts). In most plants, maintenance personnel are assigned to
these shifts simply as insurance in case something breaks down. Because of this under-
stood mission, these work periods tend to yield low productivity from the assigned
maintenance personnel. Therefore, first-line supervision that can ensure maximum
productivity from these resources is essential. The companies who recognize this fact
are attempting to resolve the need for direct supervision and still reduce what is viewed
as nonrevenue overhead (supervisors) by assigning a production supervisor to oversee
back-turn maintenance personnel.

One of the fundamental requirements of an effective supervisor is his or her knowl-
edge of the work to be performed. In most cases, production supervisors have little,
if any, knowledge or understanding of maintenance. Moreover, they have little inter-
est or desire to ensure that critical plant systems are properly maintained. The normal
result of this type of supervision is that nothing, with the possible exception of emer-
gencies, is accomplished during these extended work periods. The maintenance
personnel assigned to the back-turns simply sit in the break room waiting for some-
thing to malfunction.

Hourly Workers as Team Leaders
With few exceptions, this is the most untenable approach to supervisor-less operation.
In this scenario, hourly workers are assigned the responsibility of first-line supervi-
sion. This responsibility is typically in addition to their normal work assignments as
an operator or maintenance craftsperson. I cannot think of any position in corporate
America that is more unfair or has the least chance of success.

If you were in the military, this position is similar to a Warrant Officer in the Army.
Real officers look down on them, but expect them to produce results; noncommis-
sioned officers view them with total disdain; and soldiers treat them with less respect
than officers from higher ranks. They simply cannot win.

It is the same with the team leader concept. Senior management expects the team
leader to provide effective leadership, enforce discipline, and perform all of the other
duties normally assigned to a first-line supervisor; hourly workers tend to either treat
the team leader as “one of them” or totally ignore their direction. The team leader is
truly a pariah; he or she does not belong to the management team or the hourly work-
force. They are caught in purgatory, disliked by both management and their peers.

The common problem with these attempts to replace first-line supervision is the lack
of training and infrastructure support that is essential to effective performance. As is
the case in most functions within a plant or corporation, employees are simply not
provided with the skills essential to the successful completion of assigned tasks.