Organizational Analysis of Aberdeen Plant for Implementation at Green River PlantEssay title: Organizational Analysis of Aberdeen Plant for Implementation at Green River PlantRunning Head: ORAGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: ABERDEENOrganizational Analysis of Aberdeen Plant for Implementation at Green River PlantOrganizational Analysis of Aberdeen Plant for Implementation at Green River PlantAn organizational analysis was conducted on two of the FMC Corporation’s facilities. The Green River plant, Wyoming and the Aberdeen plant, South Dakota will be the subjects of the research. In this analysis we will focus work groups and teams, leadership and the communication process.
BackgroundThe FMC Corporation is a conglomerate based in Chicago, which operates under five major businesses: Industrial chemicals, performance chemicals, precious metals, defense systems and machinery and equipment. Two major plants of the FMC Corporation are the Green River Plant and Aberdeen Plant. Green River is a set of older traditional plants, which have been in operation since 1953 and produces many products, which are distributed to over one hundred customers worldwide. Three newer, smaller plants are also currently in the works for Green River. Green River currently employs 1,150 unionized employees to oversee several product lines in the manufacturing of chemicals. Since the beginning of its operations the plant is part of the Alkali Chemicals Division of the FMC Corporation. It supplies sodium-based chemicals to the detergent industry, large commercial chemical plants, and the glass industry. The current site manager is Kenneth Dailey who is looking at ways to improve the current operations. He recently visited the Aberdeen plant in South Dakota to look at their unique management approach.
The Aberdeen plant is much smaller and simpler then Green River. Aberdeen is a fairly new facility with operations beginning in approximately 1985 but has adopted some new age styles of management. Aberdeen has 100 employees who manufacture one product for one customer. With only a few years in operation and one customer this facility has proven itself to be extremely efficient in manufacturing it. There is no union in place, which allows for a more cohesive relationship between the workers and mangers. The plant currently employs 30 percent women and about 8 percent minorities with a goal of 50 percent women in the coming years. The plant was originally managed by Bob Lancaster, who was known as somewhat of a maverick throughout the FMC Corporation. Lancaster developed Aberdeen using what he called a participative-management system that relied on trust, which allowed for self-directing work teams. The current plant manager of Aberdeen is Roger Campbell who has kept Lancaster’s management system in tact and operating smoothly
Situation AnalysisGroups and team work are a big part of the operations at Aberdeen. The participative-management system in place at Aberdeen has become a large motivator for their employees and worked extremely well for them. These groups or teams make up the fundamental work unit at the Aberdeen plant with each team consisting in size from 3 to 16 team members. This is an easier approach at Aberdeen due to the low number of employees (100) and the fact that the plant is only five years old. A recent survey of more than 500 companies offers several reasons why self-directed work teams are revolutionizing their work approach. Some of those reasons are as follows (Williams R. 1995):
Aberdeen employs a team at all time levels, with a typical team size of 12–15 employees. In 2013 a new company, K&G, announced they had taken over the group at Aberdeen so that a smaller team should be in place by March 2015. “Aberdeen employs more than 90% of our employees, as well as more than 30% of our employees at other companies in Scotland”, says co-founder, Alex Green , “This success has been seen through our collaboration-centric culture; our team members are always willing to work together if needed. Our people feel the team members feel at a high level, with their expertise and skills, as well as working together with their teams to deliver new ideas. Their attitude towards their work is high, especially in some key areas, such as information, strategy, scheduling, customer service, etc. This is how we develop collaboration and new ideas together to create value for the people of Aberdeen.” The current Aberdeen workplace
A work group of about 400 employees, each with a staff size of 20–30, and with 5–10 working days per week to help them focus their energy. Although it has not been a traditional working time system, the groups are able to communicate with each other and have “multiple perspectives”, which helps them “take the risks” as compared to traditional working time systems. The group does provide an in-depth understanding of the team member’s roles, their experience, their skills, working responsibilities, and some insights into working and other life aspects of the business. Their members give each other a lot of information, particularly to take stock of what they need to do to become better at their roles. There are several reasons for the team members to value this type of shared experience, such as a strong sense of personal responsibility (including their role of leader, family, friends, employers and boss), good communication skills and a keen knowledge of the local setting and their work. Those members who are given this kind of information can easily get an “affectionate glimpse” of their work environment and their overall sense of achievement, based on the feedback they receive about their experiences working for them. The team members also have a great sense of pride and are very happy when they see a piece of the ground or a building, which they can then see their work move forward. For example, their company’s director commented: “Some people may think that we’re ‘tough-working’ and ‘difficult-minded’, and just seem to be trying to work hard, but to those things can be a reflection of the type of person we are”.
A working time structure
There are six working days per week for people aged 18 years
Aberdeen employs a team at all time levels, with a typical team size of 12–15 employees. In 2013 a new company, K&G, announced they had taken over the group at Aberdeen so that a smaller team should be in place by March 2015. “Aberdeen employs more than 90% of our employees, as well as more than 30% of our employees at other companies in Scotland”, says co-founder, Alex Green , “This success has been seen through our collaboration-centric culture; our team members are always willing to work together if needed. Our people feel the team members feel at a high level, with their expertise and skills, as well as working together with their teams to deliver new ideas. Their attitude towards their work is high, especially in some key areas, such as information, strategy, scheduling, customer service, etc. This is how we develop collaboration and new ideas together to create value for the people of Aberdeen.” The current Aberdeen workplace A work group of about 400 employees, each with a staff size of 20–30, and with 5–10 working days per week to help them focus their energy. Although it has not been a traditional working time system, the groups are able to communicate with each other and have “multiple perspectives”, which helps them “take the risks” as compared to traditional working time systems. The group does provide an in-depth understanding of the team member’s roles, their experience, their skills, working responsibilities, and some insights into working and other life aspects of the business. Their members give each other a lot of information, particularly to take stock of what they need to do to become better at their roles. There are several reasons for the team members to value this type of shared experience, such as a strong sense of personal responsibility (including their role of leader, family, friends, employers and boss), good communication skills and a keen knowledge of the local setting and their work. Those members who are given this kind of information can easily get an “affectionate glimpse” of their work environment and their overall sense of achievement, based on the feedback they receive about their experiences working for them. The team members also have a great sense of pride and are very happy when they see a piece of the ground or a building, which they can then see their work move forward. For example, their company’s director commented: “Some people may think that we’re ‘tough-working’ and ‘difficult-minded’, and just seem to be trying to work hard, but to those things can be a reflection of the type of person we are”.A working time structure There are six working days per week for people aged 18 years
Aberdeen employs a team at all time levels, with a typical team size of 12–15 employees. In 2013 a new company, K&G, announced they had taken over the group at Aberdeen so that a smaller team should be in place by March 2015. “Aberdeen employs more than 90% of our employees, as well as more than 30% of our employees at other companies in Scotland”, says co-founder, Alex Green , “This success has been seen through our collaboration-centric culture; our team members are always willing to work together if needed. Our people feel the team members feel at a high level, with their expertise and skills, as well as working together with their teams to deliver new ideas. Their attitude towards their work is high, especially in some key areas, such as information, strategy, scheduling, customer service, etc. This is how we develop collaboration and new ideas together to create value for the people of Aberdeen.” The current Aberdeen workplace A work group of about 400 employees, each with a staff size of 20–30, and with 5–10 working days per week to help them focus their energy. Although it has not been a traditional working time system, the groups are able to communicate with each other and have “multiple perspectives”, which helps them “take the risks” as compared to traditional working time systems. The group does provide an in-depth understanding of the team member’s roles, their experience, their skills, working responsibilities, and some insights into working and other life aspects of the business. Their members give each other a lot of information, particularly to take stock of what they need to do to become better at their roles. There are several reasons for the team members to value this type of shared experience, such as a strong sense of personal responsibility (including their role of leader, family, friends, employers and boss), good communication skills and a keen knowledge of the local setting and their work. Those members who are given this kind of information can easily get an “affectionate glimpse” of their work environment and their overall sense of achievement, based on the feedback they receive about their experiences working for them. The team members also have a great sense of pride and are very happy when they see a piece of the ground or a building, which they can then see their work move forward. For example, their company’s director commented: “Some people may think that we’re ‘tough-working’ and ‘difficult-minded’, and just seem to be trying to work hard, but to those things can be a reflection of the type of person we are”.A working time structure There are six working days per week for people aged 18 years
Improved quality, productivity and serviceGreater flexibilityReduced