Quality Manual- Control of nonconforming products

Control of nonconforming products

Purpose:

To prevent the dispatch of nonconforming products to the customer.

Scope: 

This section applies to the products which do not conform the required quality.

Nonconforming product

ACTIVITIES:

Non-conforming goods are identified during the checking of receiving section¬, Process inspection and final inspection.

• When a major non conformance is discovered i.e. (one that requires a managerial executive decision regarding its disposition) it is so identified and segregated," subject to the appropriate management decision, the defective goods are reworked, accepted on concession, re-graded or rejected.
• Where appropriate, the customer is consulted concerning any concession.

IN A NUT SHELL QUALITY IN PRACTICE:

In our company quality assurance activities start from forward looking design and guarded down to the inspection stage.

• During product development utmost care is taken both in terms of aesthetic and technical details.
• When ordering materials or components specifications are made known to the vendor. If necessary he is educated, materials are accepted after the necessary checking is OK.
• All equipment's, machine and instruments are maintained at top working condition.
• Trained operatives are organized before production is planned.
• Production file is prepared along with costing.
• Regular spot checking of key operations followed by final checking in
• Cutting of upper & bottom.
• Prefabrication of components.
• Compounding , rolling & moulding of rubber/crepe components
• Injection of TPR/PVC soles.
• Lasting conveyors.
• Shoe finishing and branding of socks.
• Packaging
• During in process control if anything is found below level of performance corrective actions are taken.
• End products are checked and inspected in three/ four stages:
• By checkers in lasting line.
• By inspectors at the end of lasting line
• By quality control  personnel at the warehouse
• Third party inspection as per buyer’s requirement.

Responsibility of “quality assurance” therefore, is shared by almost entire management of our company i.e 

1. Product development
2. Procurement
3. Store personnel
4. Floor supervisors/ production managers
5. Quality team
6. Buyer
7. Third party inspector (Wherever required).

Further to this we   statistically analyze the customers claim if any and corrective actions taken through P.D. Dept. and production floor.

To guard this, wear test of the product is regularly conducted by the P.D. Dept. at development stages and afterwards from regular production line.

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Quality Manual-Process Inspection Outsole and Solefinishing

Outsole Dept:

Rubber Outsole Process

Rubber Sole Process

Specification

Compounding Specification

Solefinishing dept:

Practical finishing  of outsole:

After making the outsole, some of them need to fabricate (Cutting, buffing, joining sole & heel, sole & wedge, fixing welt, attaching different/same materials, shaping, profiling, beveling, coloring etc) and finish them as per requirement depending on the type of outsole to make them usable following the approved sample.

 Insole to be prepared in the similar fashion.

Flow chart of Outsole and Sole finishing Dept.

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Quality Manual- Process Inspection- Cutting and prefabrication

Cutting and pre-fabrication Quality Process Inspection.

Component Inspection: 

1. Checking of components piece by piece after cutting and keeping of records.
2. Roaming supervisor checks randomly.
3. After pre-fabrication (splitting, lamination, skiving, printing) 100% checking pair by pair by quality checker and keeping record.
4. Final checking by the Cutting quality in-charge as per AQL requirement before supplying to the sewing dept.

Check points:

1. After every cutter.
2. After re-cutting.
3. After completion of the entire prefabrication job before supply to sewing dept.

Documents used:

• Daily Quality Report by individual checker.
• Daily Quality Report recapitulation as per Department.
• Random inspection report. 
• Corrective & Preventive action report.

Cutting and Pre-Fabrication Quality Process Inspection,

Here also use some formatted documents.

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Quality manual- Process inspection

Process inspection of Quality manual.

Purpose:

To establish and maintain documented procedures for process inspection in order to verify that the specified requirements for the product are met.

Scope: 

This section applies to the product being produced in the factory.


Quality control is one of the most important functions in production. It cannot be   “Inspected into shoes at the end of the line”.

Quality must be built into the shoes at every step in the manufacturing process.  Substandard quality must be identified and corrected when it occurs in the manufacturing process.

This process quality control concept rest on three basic principles

1. Only good materials are used
2. Operations are performed correctly
3. Any defects are corrected when they occur during manufacturing

This quality control system moves the quality supervisor into the main stream of production and makes him a process quality controller.


In line with that operator should

• Receive Good Work
• Perform Good Work
• Supply Good Work

During the production of shoe the operator’s finished work is checked by line supervisor. A Roaming QC supervisor moves from one operator to another at random inspecting the quality of products.


The basic flow of quality in the entire factory can be depicted graphically as below:

Total QC Process at a glance

From next post we discuss quality process inspection in individual dept

1. Cutting and pre-fabrication
2. Sewing
3. Outsole and Sole finishing 
4. Lasting and finishing

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Quality Manual-Suppliers Selection, Approval & Evaluations

Purpose: 

To ensure that Suppliers are selected on the basis of their capability to meet the requirements of "Your Company" and therefore evaluated and controlled properly.

Scope:

This procedure is applicable to the selection and periodic assessment of Suppliers who supply raw, packaging, machinery, equipment, and other locally available materials to"Your Company".

Definition:

Supplier/Vendor: Person or organization, which has the potential of supplying materials for use by "Your Company".
Indenters: Local Representatives of overseas suppliers.

Responsibility:

It shall be the joint responsibility of Purchasing, Production, Quality Assurance participate in the selection and evaluation of any Supplier/Indenter.
Procurement department in recognition of Top Management is responsible for selection of Suppliers for local & foreign purchase.

Procurement Manager, Production manager, Quality Assurance Manager  and Store are responsible to verify quality of  Supplier’s products.

Method:

Supplier/Vendor Selection:

• "Your Company"d shall purchase raw and packaging materials and other items through both  local and foreign Suppliers.       
• The need for a new Supplier can be determined by Quality Assurance, Production,           Maintenance, and Purchasing Departments.       
• New Suppliers shall be selected on the basis of their past experience and ability to supply quality  products, with competitive price and required delivery time.

 Selection Procedures of Local Suppliers/Vendors:

• Procurement Manager or authorized nominee shall select local Suppliers on the basis of their past experience, quality of products supplied, their prices and delivery.
• For selecting new local Suppliers, Procurement Manager or authorized nominee shall verify the specifications of the purchasable materials, samples (as appropriate) and compare with the existing specifications. In case of local Suppliers having manufacturing facilities, the facilities shall be audited (if needed) before selecting them as approved Suppliers.
• If the specifications of the products or materials are found to be satisfactory, Procurement Manager shall then ask the Suppliers to submit prices for comparison with current prices of other Suppliers. If the prices are found within acceptable limits, and test sample are acceptable, then he will recommend the Supplier(s) to  Top Management for inclusion of the name in the Approved Suppliers List (ASL) of local Suppliers.
• After getting approval from Top Management, Procurement Manager  shall then enlist the Suppliers in the Lists of Approved Suppliers List (ASL). The ASL may be categorized item-wise.   

Selection Procedures for Foreign Suppliers/Vendors: 

• After a prospective foreign Supplier or Indenter is identified as a possible source of a material, Procurement Manager shall ask the prospective Supplier for supplying documentary evidence that may prove to be a good Supplier. Subject to satisfactory survey report about past experience, Procurement Manage shall ask the prospective Suppliers or their local representatives/indenter to submit samples of raw and other materials with their product specifications, certificates of quality test etc. 
• In case of new raw materials and new Supplier, Quality Assurance/Production Dept. shall verify the quality of the Supplier’s products by detailed test and analysis and submit report to Procurement Manager  . After getting satisfactory report from the QA, Production Dept., Procurement Manager shall ask the Suppliers/indenters for quotes of samples.
• Request for quote shall clearly indicate the detailed specifications of materials or products, their quantities, source of origin, name of manufacturers and suppliers, Name of local indenters/representatives and delivery schedule.
• If the specification and quality of the product are acceptable, quotation is competitive and the price is well within the range, the Suppliers might be provisionally selected.         
• Later on after successful shipment and acceptance of a particular consignment of raw materials and machinery parts for the plant; the Supplier will be placed in the Approved Suppliers List (ASL) of Overseas Suppliers provided other selection criteria are met.
• At times depending on urgency and circumstances, the Top Management may use his discretion to enlist name of any overseas Supplier provisionally pending its performance and subsequent placement in the ASL.   

  

  Choose Your Supplier 

Selection of Suppliers/Vendors for a Particular Import Order:

First of all Procurement Manager  will ask the Suppliers/indenters of ASL to supply pre-purchase-samples with their specifications, quality test reports/certificates.  Subject to satisfactory quality report by "Your Company" of QA, Production Dept. the Suppliers shall be requested to quote in bulk quantity.

• Depending on the price and terms and conditions of delivery, the Top Management shall approve one or more Suppliers for importing a particular batch or consignment of raw materials, equipment, machinery parts, or other importable items. 
• After the selection of Supplier(s) Procurement Manager will start processing to open Letter(s) of Credit. After the shipment and arrival of the consignment(s) at the port, subsequent clearance will be made and samples will be sent again for quality testing by "Your Company" QA, Production Dept.
• At the end of the month upon receipt of the satisfactory quality report from Quality Assurance Dept. or from the Material Receive Register maintained by Store Dept. be used ‘Supplier History Form’ will be filled by the Head/Executive of Procurement Dept.

Comparative Performance study of Local Suppliers/Vendors:

• Procurement Executive shall maintain ‘Supplier History Form for all local and foreign suppliers. This form shall be updated once a supply is received from Supplier.
• Summarizing all Supplier History Forms, Procurement Manager will evaluate the local and foreign suppliers once in every year. Following system shall be used to evaluate the suppliers of "Your Company".
• Procurement Manager will fill up the Supplier Evaluation Form based on the respective Supplier History Form.
• Evaluation will be done material wise and in the following three categories.

                     Quality: Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
                     Delivery: Prompt Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
                     Price: Highly Competitive Reasonable High

A Sample format for supplier

• To be on the ASL, a supplier should have at least “Satisfactory” in the ‘Quality’ and ‘Delivery’ category and “Reasonable” in ‘Price’ category.
• Based on the overall performance of the supplier, Procurement Manager will write comments/recommendation on the Supplier Evaluation Form.
• Top Management shall be responsible to approve the Supplier Evaluation Form 
• Only the approved Suppliers will be in the Approved Supplier List (ASL).
• An Evaluation Form will be used for a particular supplier to evaluate its last one-year performance. Procurement Manager will update the Approved Supplier List (ASL) based on the evaluation form of each supplier. 
• Purchase will be carried out from the ASL; however purchase could be done from other Suppliers, which aren’t in the ASL with prior approval from Top Management.  

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What is Productivity

Productivity is the ratio of product output to resources input, which is the degree of effectiveness of resources utilization.
In short, it is the measure of efficient utilization of the inputs in the conversion process.

Productivity= Output/Input

Input:
Material
Machine
Labour
Space
Expenses etc

Output:
Production Unit
Turnover
Service etc.

Productivity is an attitude of mind that strives for and achieves the habit for improvement, as well as the system and the set of practices that translate that attitude into action:

• In and by ourselves through constantly upgrading our knowledge, skill, discipline, individual effort and team work.
• In our work through better management, work methods, cost reduction, timeliness, better systems and better technology so as to achieve high quality products and services, a bigger market share and higher standard of living. 

Kurt Lewin's model for human behavior can be expressed by the following:
Formula, B=f (I,E) i.e behavior is a function of the individual and his environment.
This principle provides a corner stone to release untapped human potential.
This Lewin's model expands in case of the productivity.
The productivity P=f (I,G,E) i.e the productivity depends on the individual, the group and the environment.
To tap productivity, each must be understood and managed accordingly.

Take a tour to know more about productivity.

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Introducing Management Training- Motivation Final Part

This is the final part of the article. Here we see the motivation theories. Here you find the first part.

MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES

1. Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of needs theory”.
2. Frederick Herzberg’s “Two factors theory” (motivation-hygiene theory)
3. Claton P. Aldafar’s “ERG theory”
4. MC Gregor’s “X” and “Y” theory.
5. J.K. Atkinson and David C. MC Clelland’s “Need theory of Motivation”
6. Viktor E Frankl’s “Will to meaning theory”
7. B.F. Skineer’s “Conditioning and Reinforcement theory”.
8. Victor H. Vroom’s “Expectancy theory”.

ABRAHAM MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS THEORY 

Abraham Maslow's Hierachy of Needs Theory

Physiological need or Biological Need: Hunger, thirst, sex, air, food, water and so on. (Bodily need fulfillment)

Safety needs: Protection against danger, threat, deprivation and  so on.

Social Needs: Belonging, association, acceptance by others, giving and receiving friendship and love.

Ego or Esteem Needs: Self esteem (Self confidence, independence, achievement, competence,  knowledge) and personal reputation (status recognition appreciation respect).

Self actualization or self fulfillment Need:  Realizing one’s own potential, continued self development, creativity.

CRITICAL FACTORS TOR TAKING BEHAVIORAL DECISIONS

• Net profit: Observed value of the reward minus observed cost of the reward.
• Cost of failing: Cost of trying plus penalties for failing.
• Perceived probability of success
• Confidence in calculation.

According to behavioral scientist another point is Emotions. This is the most powerful force that motivate us even if they are not particularly rational.

What is Emotion ?

     An Emotion may be defined as a stirred –up – state of the mind accompanied by the physiological changes.
Emotions result from need seeking activities and are, therefore, indirect cause of behavior.

Most human behavior has a motivational base which seeks to satisfy needs.
If an operating manager is to try to draw some level of activity from a subordinate, he must have an understanding or awareness of the specific human needs that must be satisfied if the stirred –up –state is to be eliminated.

Two- Factor Theory:
Herzberg categorized those variables directly related to motivation and those not directly related, which he called hygiene factors.

Motivation
Achievement recognition work itself responsibility advancement
Hygiene factors 
Company policy pay working conditions supervision benefits.

Victor H.Vroom’s-Expectancy Theory:


         Motivation is a product of three factors: How much one wants a reward(valance), one’s estimate of the probability that effort will result in successful performance(expectancy), and one’s estimate that performance will result in receiving the reward(Instrumentality). This relationship is stated in the following formula:
       
           Motivation  =    Valence    x    Expectancy     x     Instrumentality

The  three factors

Valence: Valence refers to the strength of person’s preference for receiving a reward. It is an expression of the amount of one’s desire to reach a goal.
       
Expectancy: Expectancy is the strength of belief that one’s work-related effort will result in completion of a task.
For example- a person selling a magazine subscriptions door-to-door may know from experience that volume of sales is directly related to the number of sales call made. Expectancies are stated as probabilities.
       
Instrumentality: Instrumentality  represents the employees belief that a reward will be received once the task is accomplished. Here the employee makes another subjective judgment about the probability.

J.K.Atkinson & David C.Mc-Clelland

 According to them the individual personality is assumed to be composed of a network of three basic motives.

1. The need for achievement.
2. The need for affiliation.
3. The need for power.
4. It is possible to think of specific type of behavour that are likely to be associated with each kind of motive.Mc. Clelland found that people with high need to achieve tend to
1. 1.Seek and assumed high degree of personal responsibility
2. Take calculated risk
3.  Set challenging but realistic goals for themselves.
4. Develop comprehensive plans to help them achieve their goals.
5. Seek and use concrete measurable feed back of the results of their actions
6. Seek out business opportunities where their desire to achieve will not be thwarted.

Viktor E Frankl

     The first two analytical motivational model dealt with the idea of motives and the type of motivated behaviour that manager may apply to other people. Frankl in his book Men’s search for meaning writes more directly to individual person and his own motivation. Frankl,  believes, for example, that a great deal of  man’s basic frustration from his inability to find what Frankl calls the “Will to meaning” . He believes that a people have a basic need to do meaningful things, and thus when put into an environment that does not allow for meaning people become frustrated and develop neurotic behavior.

Clayton Alderfer’s E-R-G model

       Clayton Alderfder proposed a modified need hierarchy-the E-R-G model with just 3 levels. He suggested that employees are initially interested in satisfying their existence needs, which combine physiological and security factors. Pay, physical working conditions, job security, and frienge benefits. Can all address these needs. Relatedness needs are at the next level. And these involve being understood and accepted by the people above, below and around the empolyee at work and away from it.

Growth needs are in the 3rd category, these involve the desire for both self esteem and self actualization.

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Introducing Management Training-Motivation first part

This article is holding with two parts. Today we discuss about the first part.

IMPORTANT IDEAS ABOUT THE NATURE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR

1. People are wanting animals. As soon as one of man’s need is satisfied, another will appear in its place. This process is unending and continuous from birth to death.
2. Satisfied need do not motivate of cause behavior. Only those needs that has not been satisfied can exercise a great deal of influence over human behavior.  
3. The needs can be arranged in a hierarchy of importance. An individual has a pre-determined order of needs. Each needs having its own rank level of importance to each individual.

WHAT IS MOTIVATION

The word motivation refers to activation from within the organism. It is an internal drive that incites the individual to take some kind of action. It is a stimulation to satisfy a need.

MOTIVATIONAL PROCESS

The motivational process may be described as consisting of three stages:

Motivational process

1. There is a need caused by internal dis-equilibrium. 
2. There is a behavior caused by the need to established equilibrium.
3. There is a goal that satisfies the need.

HUMAN NEED STRUCTURE

There are countless ways to classify and arrange the human need structure.  One way is to classify and arrange the human needs into two categories-

1. Primary motive 
2. Acquired motives

PRIMARY MOTIVES

Primary  motives or lower level needs are those which arises from the nature of man as an animal and which do not originate in previous learning.

Among the most important lower level needs are hunger, thirst,  sex, pain avoidance, comfort, breathing etc.

ACQUIRED MOTIVES

Acquired motives result from the experience of an individual from the special instructions an individual has with his environment. These interactions usually cause learning to occur. Among these acquired motives are the higher level -  social needs as well as esteem needs and self actualization needs.

The final part is about motivational theories. Stay in touch.

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Introducing Management Training-Leadership-2

Final part of Management Training -Leadership. If you didn't read the first part you can read it by clicking here.

CONTINUUM OF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR

Effective Style:

CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT: ADAPTING TO THE SITUATION

• We have explored the two extremes on the continuum of management behavior.  Logically, the best position would be somewhere in between.
• We propose as an alternative that a leader recognize that his or her effectiveness depends on the fit between the relationship of the manager and the work group, the nature of the task at hand, and the power of the leader’s position.
• Contingency management fosters the idea of a “different- stroke-for-different folks “ approach to management.

TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS

1. Honesty.
2. High level of personal drive.
3. Desire to lead.
4. Personal integrity.
5. Self confidence.
6. Cognitive(analytical) ability.
7. Knowledge.
8. Charisma.
9. Flexibility.
10. Intelligence.
11. Creativity.
12. Personal warmth.
13. Ambitions.
14. Aggressiveness 

Much research has focused on identifying leadership behavior, skill and action. Three broad type skills the leaders widely use are

1. Technical skill
2. Human
3. Conceptual.

  

Leaders behavior depends on 3 main variables

1. Leader
2. Followers and
3. Situation 

Followership behavior:

1. Not competing with the leader
2. Being loyal and supportive
3. Not being a ‘yes person’ who automatically agrees.
4. Not to act as a devil’s advocate by raising penetrating questions.
5. Constructively confronting the leader’s ideas, values and actions.
6. Anticipating potential problems and preventing them.

Good followers. Then, need to succeed at their own jobs while helping their managers succeeds at theirs.

LEADERSHIP APPROACHES 

1.Positive leadership:  If the leadership approach emphasizes reward-economic or otherwise-leader uses positive leadership. Better employee education, greater demand for independence and other factors have made satisfactory employee motivation more dependent on positive leadership.

2.If emphasis is placed on penalties, the leader is applying negative leadership. This approach can get acceptable performance in many situations, but it has high human costs. The penalties are loss of job, reprimand in the presence of others, and a few days of without pay. They display authority in the false belief that it frightens every one into productivity. They are bosses more than leaders.

1. Quality or trait approach
2. Situational approach
3. Functional approach. 

TYPE OF POWER

1. Reward Power.
2. Coersive Power
3. Legitimate/Position Power
4. Expart Power
5. Referent Power(Charisma). 

USE OF POWER

1.POSITION POWER-reinforced by reward and coercive power: Where most task are predictable and routine, and behavioral conformity is sufficient.

2.EXPERT AND REFERENT POWER: Where tasks are creative, complex, uncertain, requiring high degree of internalized motivation. 

ATTAINMENT OF REFERENT(CHARISMATIC) POWER

1.ROLE MODELING: Behaving in the manner in which you want your followers to have.

2.IMAGE CREATION: Engaging in behavior designed to create the impression of competence and success.

3.CONFIDENCE BUILDING: Communicating confidence in and high expectations of followers.

4.GOAL ARTICULATION: Voicing goals laden with moral overtones, which can then become the basis of a movement or a cause(because they exploit people’s emotions).

5.MOTIVE AROUSAL: Behaving in such a manner as to inspire the followers to want to accomplish the goal.

TACTICS FOR INFLUENCING OTHERS 

1. Assertiveness
2. Ingratiation
3. Rationality
4. Sanctions
5. Exchange
6. Upward appeal
7. Blocking
8. Coalitions
9. Other techniques 

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MANAGER

1. Personality
2. Self confidence
3. Training, Experience, Knowledge
4. Expectations of subordinates

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUBORDINATES 

1. Professionals
2. Ability, knowledge and experience
3. Exercice of power
4. Cultural background

THE SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO DECISION MAKING

1. Problem identification
2. Problem definition
3. Information collection
4. Information analysis
5. Specification of the objective, without defined objective, the success of a decision can not be assessed
6. Alternative course of action
7. Select action and implement

There are four kinds of people in this world

1. People who watch things happen.
2. People to whom things happen.
3. People who don’t know what is happening.  And a distinguished minority 
4. People who make things happen

                      

             Which one are you ?

TO Know more about leadership visit here.

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Introducing Management Training-Leadership-1

What is leadership ?
        It is the process of influencing and supporting others to work enthusiastically towards  achieving  objectives without the exercise of authority delegated to the leader by any one in an official organizational capacity.
It is the critical factor that helps an individual or a group to identify its goal and than motivate and assist in achieving the stated goals.

Three important elements in this definition:

1. Influence/support
2. Voluntary effort
3. Goal achievement.

       Without leadership an organization would be only a confusion of people and machines. The leadership process is similar in effect that of the secret chemical that turns a caterpillar into butterfly with all the beauty that was the caterpillar’s potential.
Therefore, leadership is the catalyst that transforms potential in to reality.
e.g Bill Gates, Prof.Younus etc.

         Leadership is the ultimate act that identifies, develops,  channels and enriches the potentials that is already in an organization and its people.
What is management ?
 It is the process of directing activities of others, influencing and supporting to work enthusiastically toward achieving the organizational objectives by exercising the authority officially delegated to the manager. Leadership is an important part of management, but is not the whole story. Managers  hold formal position.

Difference between a leader and a manager 

Leader:

1. Voluntarily chosen by its followers. 
2. Don’t have any defined authority. Relies on personal power 
3. Can be removed and replaced by  his followers. 
4. Leader create a vision and inspire others to achieve this vision. 

Manager:

1. Imposed upon his subordinate. 
2. Have defined authority. Such as job title-Supervisor, officer, manager etc.
3. Can not directly be removed by his subordinate. 
4. Manager  have  goal, achieve result by directing the activities of others. 

WHY A MANAGER SHOULD BECOME A LEADER

  

1. When a manager occasionally wants his subordinate to perform beyond the duties specified in their job, and in such circumstances the exercise of authority is impossible.

(This is not always true: subordinates may comply out of fear that, on a subsequent occasion, the manager may legitimately deploy his authority against them).

 2. If the manager doesn’t become the leader  of his subordinates than some one else will step into the vacuum-and this will inevitable mean conflict.

3. In today’s employment climate, ‘authority’ as a means of getting things done is less and less effective.  

  

THE JOB OF A MANAGER

• Planning
• Organizing
• Directing
• Leading
• Coordinating
• Motivating and
• Controlling 

LEADERSHIP ELEMENTS

Leadership is a technique. It does not have any general role. But in case of the successful leaders following 4 elements generally observed.

1. Leader’s power/authority.
2. Ability of judgment of individual motives and their motivators.
3. Creating motivational environment
4. Leadership style. 

LEADERSHIP STYLE

• Many researchers pointed out that the success depends on the leader’s behavior and his leadership style. They pointed out 5 different leadership styles;
• Autocratic
• Consultative
•  Participative
• Democratic
• Laissez-Faire. “Hands-off”

The way in which a leader uses his power also establishes a type of style. All the styles has some benefits and limitations

Autocratic style: In autocratic style the leader centralize power and decision making in themselves. They structure the complete work situation for their employees who are expected to do what they told and not think for themselves. The leader take all authority assume full responsibility. Autocratic leadership typically is negative, based on threats and punishment, but it can appear to be positive, as demonstrated by the benevolent autocrat who chooses to give some reward to the employees.

Advantage of autocratic leadership:

• It is often satisfying for the leader.
• It permits quick decision.
• It allows the use of less competent subordinate.
• It provides security and structure for employees.

Disadvantage: 

• Most employees dislike it.
• It creates fear and frustration.
• It seldom generates the strong organizational commitment.
• It leads to low turnover and absenteeism rate. 

Consultative style: Consultative leaders approach one or more employee and ask them for inputs prior to making a decision. These leaders may then choose to use or ignore the information and advice received, however. If the inputs are seen as used, employees are likely to feel as they had a positive impact; if the inputs are consistently rejected, employees are likely to feel that their time has been wasted.

Participative style: Participative leaders clearly decentralize authority. Participative decisions are not unilateral, as with the autocrat, because they use inputs from followers and participation by them. The leader and group are acting as a social unit. Employees are informed about conditions affecting their jobs and encourage to express their ideas, make suggestions, and take action.

Democratic: Participative leaders clearly decentralize authority. Participative decisions are not unilateral, as with the autocrat, because they use inputs from followers and participation by them. The leader and group are acting as a social unit. Employees are informed about conditions affecting their jobs and encourage to express their ideas, make suggestions, and take action.

Laissez-Faire, “Hands-Off”: This is a style in which the manager tries to avoid being the boss. Such a manager depends on the work group to establish goal and to work out their own problems. What laissez-faire managers fail to provide the group the structure. The group tends to feel lost and will probably by pass the manager, seeking direction and structure from other sources.

Next Leadership behavior

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Introducing Management Training-Communication-2

This is the final part of this article. If you didn't read first part, Please have a look

Introducing Management Training-Communication-1

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Even when the receiver receives the message and makes a gunine effort to decode it, a number of interferences may limit the receivers understanding. These obstacles are called barriers to communication. These barriers may entirely prevent a communication, filter out part of it, or give it incorrect meaning. There are three types of barriers in the communication

  a.Personal

  b.Physical

  c.Semantic.

a. Personal barrier- These are communication interferences that arise from human emotions, values, and poor listening habits. They may also arise from differences of education, race. Sex, socioeconomic status and other factors.

b.Physical barriers- These are communication interferences that occur in the environment in which the communication takes place. A typical physical barrier is a sudden distracting noise that temporarily drowns out a voice message others are distance between people, walls, etc.

c.Semantic barriers- Semantics is the science of meaning, as constructed with phonetics, the science of sounds. Nearly all communication is symbolic, that is it is achieved with symbol (words, pictures and actions0 that suggest certain meanings. These symbols are merely a map that describes a territory, but they are not the real territory itself, hence they must be decoded and interpreted by the receiver.

Semantic barrier arise from limitations in the symbols with which we communicate. Symbols usually have a variety of meanings and we have to choose one from many. 

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOOD LISTENING

Keith Davis lists the following commandments:

1. Stop talking- You cannot listen if you are talking.
2. Put the talker at ease-Help the talker feel that she or he is free to talk.
3. Show the talker that you want to listen- Look and act interested. Do not read your mail while she or he talks.
4. Remove distractions- Don’t doodle, tap, or shuffle papers. Offer to shut the door.
5. Empathize with the talker-  Try to put yourself in the talker’s place so you can see that point of view.
6. Be patient – Allow plenty of time. Do not interrupt.
7. Hold your temper - An angry manager gets the wrong meaning of words.
8. Go easy on argument and criticism - This puts the talker in the defensive. Do not argue, even if you win, you lose.
9. Ask questions – This encourage the talker and shows you are listening.
10. Stop talking - This is the first and last, because all other commandments depend on it. You cannot be an effective listener while you are talking.

• Nature give people two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle hint that they should listen more than they talk.
• Listening requires two ears, one for meaning and one for feeling. 
• Decision makers who do not listen have less information for making sound decision.

Thank for your patients. To Know more visit here.

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Introducing Management Training-Communication-1

This article contains two parts. This is the first part.

COMMUNICATION


Communication is the transfer of information and understanding from one person to another person. It is the way of reaching others by transmitting ideas, facts, thoughts, feelings and values. Its goal is to have the receiver understand the message as it was intended.
Communication always involve two people- a sender and a receiver.

Importance of communication:

Organization cannot exist without communication. If there is no communication, employees cannot know what their coworkers are doing, management cannot receive information inputs, and supervisor and team leaders cannot give instructions. Coordination of work is impossible and the organization will collapse for lack of it. Every act of communication influences the organization.
General purpose of communication can be classified into five broad areas:

1. Becoming informed or informing others.
2. Evaluating one’s own inputs or other’s performance.
3. Directing others or being directed or instructed.
4. Influencing others or being influenced.
5. Several incidental neutral functions.

Type of communication:

1. Closed communication
2. Open communication
3. Two way communication
4. Upward communication.
5. Downward communication
6. Lateral communication

Communication Process

TWO WAY COMMUNICATION PROCESS

It is the method by which a sender reaches a receiver with a message. The process always requires eight steps, whether the two parties talk, use hand signals, or employ some advanced technology means of communication. The steps are,
Step-1: Develop an idea- It is to develop an idea that the sender wishes to transmit. This is the key step, because unless there is a worthwhile message, the other entire step is somewhat useless.

Step-2: Encode-Convert the idea into suitable words, charts or other symbols for transmission.

Step-3: Transmit-When the message is finally developed is to transmit it by the method chosen such as memo,, phone call, personal visit.

Step-4: Receive-Transmission allows another person to receive a message. In this step the initiative transfer to the receiver, who tunes in to receive the message? If it is oral, the receiver needs to be a good listener. If the receiver does not function the message is lost.

Step-5: Decode- The message is to be decoded, so that it can be understood. The sender wants the receiver to understand the message exactly as it was sent. Understanding can occur only in a receivers mind.

Step-6: Accept-once the receiver has obtained and decoded a message, that person has the opportunity to accept or reject it. The sender would like the receiver to accept the communication in the manner intended so that activities progress as planned. Some factors affecting the acceptance decision
(1) Perception of the messages accuracy,
(2) The authority and the credibility of the sender
(3) the behavioral implication of the receiver.

Step-7: Use-Another important part in the communication process is the use of information. The receiver may discard it, perform the task as directed, store the information for future, or can do something else. This is a critical action step, and the receiver is largely in control of what to do.

 Step- 8: Feedback- When the receiver acknowledge the message and responds to the sender, feedback has occurred. Feedback completes the communication loop, because there is a message flow from the sender to the receiver and back to the sender.

To be continue 

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Introducing Interflow Management

Interflow Management is a most effective system for a manufacturing company. Here i discus about the system which already we maintain our factory. Hope this will helpful for your company.

The philosophy:
Good communication in any company gives employees at all levels a feeling of belonging by keeping people informed and by providing an opportunity to contribute to overall operation of the enterprise.
It is intended to exchange the ideas and concerns between the management and the workers. That is the two-way communication on an ongoing basis.
Planning includes the broad based participation in the preparation of strategic plan such as preparing of annual estimate, budgeting of departmental expenses etc.
Decision making ranges from determining the type of equipment use for a particular design, availability of cutting dies, last, repairing of any machine in the line, training for any particular skill etc.
To be able to achieve this it is essential that all necessary information be available to a broad spectrum of people.  Fear of damaging leakages of business information should not be allowed to create an environment of secretiveness and misinformation.
To make it possible to bring all these important people into the planning, information and decision – making process in a more formal way a system called “Interflow”. Especially it improves the relationship between the first line supervisor and the operators.

(A)Purpose:

1. To ensure that every one working in the company feels they are participating in the venture.
2. To make information relevant to the operation of the department and company available to all levels of management.
3. To create good two –way communication.
4. To strengthen the relationship between the first-line supervisor and his subordinates.

Why it is important:

1. In order to work to their peak potential, people need to communicate.
2. It gives a very large and important group of people, those operating the machines an opportunity to receive information and express opinions.
3. Interflow is an important part of the overall management of the company.

( B )Who should be selected?:

Efficient employees with leadership experience and respect of his peers should be selected.
 Number should be minimum 3 to maximum 6 employees depending on the number of people working in a dept.( as a general rule there should be 1 interflow team member for every 5 employees working in a dept.


Rotation of interflow members:

Member should serve for a limited period of time. Each member should serve for at least 6 months and one member could be replaced approximately every two months, to ensure a cycle of continuity. It may be beneficial to form a core of 1 or 2 key members who would serve for a longer period.


( C ) Location:

It can be decided by discussing to select a convenient place.

Principle to be followed:

1. A commitment to interflow.
2. A positive approach.
3. Address important issues.
4. Follow-up.

What are the steps to be taken?

• Pre-schedule meeting.
• Prepare agenda.
• Chair the meeting.
• Communicate information.
• Record items that arise.
• Initiate prompt action.
• Report back and follow-up.

Summary:

• Supervisor must be well trained in the techniques of Interflow management.
• There must be conscientious preparation for each meeting.
• Every one- Supervisors, team members, managers, - must adopt a positive approach.
• Every member must be willing to participate and contribute.
• There must be immediate follow-up and feedback on all points.

To conclude the session:

Interflow Management Format

(A)Responsibilities:

Department manager:

1. Organize interflow in his dept.
2. Be sure that the meetings are scheduled and held.
3. Channel relevant information from the management team to the interflow chairman.
4. Review records of meeting.
5. Take action on points that require his attention.
6. Pass information of interest from interflow meetings to higher levels of management.
7. Give support and recognition to interflow chairman and members.

Interflow chairman:

• Actively gather information of interest from all sources, including his superiors.
• Prepare and conduct meaningful meeting.
• Pass on and gather points from his team members.
• Report topics discussed to management.
• Ensure prompt follow-up on points raised.
• Actively create and reinforced team spirit in the interflow group and his dept. as a whole.

Interflow team members:

1. Collect ideas and concerns from fellow employees. 
2. Offer opinions and suggestions readily during interflow meetings.
3. Pass information discussed during meetings to their colleagues.

(B)“Remember – Interflow management is not just a separate group of meetings held for supervisors and their subordinates to communicate, but, in fact, it is an essential part of the overall management of the company and a crucial ingredient in the total human relations activity.”

“Interflow must therefore; be managed with as much care and commitment as all other aspect s of the business. Interflow is something that must be developed until it is a meaningful and vibrant part of working life.” 

Thanks.

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