Article Abstract:
NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.), the joint venture between General Motors and Toyota (in Fremont, California), has for two years been managed primarily by Toyota executives. In that time labor relations have improved dramatically in comparison to the problems experienced by the plant when it was entirely a General Motors installation. The improvements are not attributable to new laborers, as 85 percent of the original United Auto Workers workforce was rehired. Toyota management with its vastly different labor relations approach is the key to the plant's industrial relations success. The Toyota approach is called Kaizen (which, loosely translated from the Japanese means "never-ending quest for perfection"). The seven goals of Kaizen personnel management are identified and discussed. Also discussed briefly are the Japanese management techniques known as just-in-time inventory control, total quality control (described as a company's sociotechnical system), the changing roles of factory workers, and job security as an employment goal.
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Article Abstract:
Human resources development (HRD) professionals played a vital role in the development of an offshore facility for Moog Inc, a manufacturer of precision systems for the aerospace industry. Manpower requirements for this major manufacturing operation were a challenge because HRD staff had no prior experience in Moog's international operations. The HRD unit developed a cost-effective plan to recruit, select, and train employees. The recruitment effort centered on candidates who were capable of assuming new responsibilities and who would remain with the company for a long time. Employees were selected on the basis of aptitude tests and previous achievement. Training of 18 employees took place in the Moog training facility in the US. The arduous work of the HRD unit in the selection and training of the first group of workers resulted in successful operation and plant expansion in less than 18 months.
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Article Abstract:
Downsizing is a common event in today's business environment, and effective management requires that personnel professionals learn not only to help those people losing jobs as a result of cutbacks, but to help those remaining too. The experience of Duracell Inc's US engineering unit, when it reorganized, is described to illustrate how the company worked with retained employees to maintain productivity and morale. The successful program included such factors as: informing employees about changes; helping employees to recommit to the company; and providing on-going support for employees.
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