Staff resources can no longer be underutilized, whether in skill or ability. Today's dynamic business environment demands a degree of responsiveness and cost competitiveness that can only be achieved through increased flexibility and interchangeability of staff. To achieve this, it is necessary to build a base of standardized policies and procedures that align personnel resource management practices across the organization.
Sharing staff resources requires individual availability and skill matching. Optimally, an individual possessing the necessary, not excessive, skill in a workgroup is available to augment the receiving workgroup for the exact period of time necessary to complete the work assignment. This situation is difficult to achieve not only because of the idealistic mix of skills and availability, but also because of the challenges associated with identifying available and adequate resources across the organization. While difficult, optimally matching the organization's personnel resources to their work is enhanced by effectively executing the following programs:
Matching skills
Alignment of organization rating designations - Common rating designations assigned to individuals who meet training, evaluation, and performance standards
Cross-qualification and cross-training: an organizational expectation that people become proficient and qualified to perform a variety of tasks
Standardized processes and procedures: common work methodologies for which people are qualified and become competent. Organizational alignment exists in both documentation and execution. Examples of standardized work processes and procedures include: 1) work order planning and execution, 2) authorization / safety labeling, 3) permits, 4) problem reports, 5) material / part requests, and 6) reports of time
Coherent procedure format: job control documents have a common format and contain standardized information sets
Common job performance standards: Expectations about how the job will be done, such as safety and quality standards, are commonly shared and reinforced equally across the organization
Use of common applications and tools: the computer systems and physical tools used to document and carry out work are common to all work groups within the organization
Individual availability
Using a standardized work scheduling process: Policies for developing work schedules are common across the organization
Common Work Intrusion Policy: The rules governing the circumvention of the planning process are applied consistently across the organization
Consolidated Resource Management Program: Standardized policies effectively control the planned availability of workers, including: 1) vacation scheduling policies align extended free time scheduling with the work scheduling process, 2) training scheduling practices align scheduling of time-intensive training courses with work scheduling process, and 3) common set of shared company vacations among all business units, sites, and work groups
Visibility of personnel resources: tools are used that make the availability of personnel identifiable for all work groups that potentially need the individual's skill set. Individual visibility exists for both skills and availability.
Inclusion of absences of personnel resources in working hours: the availability of personnel resources is considered in the process of loading resources into working hours
Although they have qualified and available individuals and have the means to identify them, many organizations will not yet effectively share their staff resources. Culturally, these organizations do not value Resource Sharing; its leaders focus less on the overall success of the organization and more on what their individual workgroup can accomplish. Subsequently, the final cornerstone at the base of the effective exchange of personnel resources is the commitment of the organization's leaders; A commitment that is acted upon and reinforced.
0 Comments