Page 108 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

All for One and One for All 89

we see suggests that in a tight market for the top-notch recruits in technology,
production, and other fields that demand both high intelligence and high
levels of skills, people are attracted to jobs with the most expansive descrip-
tions and opportunities for advancement. Salary is important, to be sure,
but it is often not the first criterion that the best people have in mind when
they begin evaluating job possibilities or offers. As R. S. Dreyer stated in an
article for Supervision magazine, people work not only for the salary, but also
“for the satisfaction they derive from accomplishment. They work to be part
of a team . . . [and] for the feeling of pride they get out of being employed
by a fine organization.”
In our work with the Mead Johnson Nutritional Division of Bristol-
Myers Squibb, for example, we found confirmation of the greater sense of
pride people derive from working as members of a successful team. One line
attendant, a production line employee whose job it is to make sure that the
line doesn’t jam up, told us her story about working at a plant that produces
infant formula. This employee was responsible for picking up overturned
bottles. It’s a bit like being a traffic cop, except that watching the line all day
can be monotonous and boring. When she was put on a team, however, her
whole attitude about the job changed.
Here’s how she explained it: “Before I joined the team, I was always proud
to say that I worked for Bristol-Myers, but when asked what my specific job
was, I usually changed the subject. The truth was that I was embarrassed to
say I was a line attendant. Now it’s different; I tell anyone who asks that I’m
a member of a team that is responsible for making the best quality product at
the most affordable cost for mothers and babies throughout the world.”
No longer just a lone worker in a monotonous job, this woman became
part of a multifunctional team that met with management in an effort to
improve quality and productivity. Having been made to feel that her work
and her opinions mattered, she was able to take pride in her new role and to
exhibit striking enthusiasm, loyalty, and commitment to the team.

Toppling Hierarchical Barriers

Although no organization can function without a certain degree of hierarchy
(someone must be in charge), every company should look at how well its
hierarchy performs and periodically question its purpose. Some stratification
is vital to the smooth functioning of any business, but too much can, and
probably will, kill initiative, smother innovation, and lead to a deadening of
the spirit throughout the organization.