Jielian Case Analysis

Phase 1 – short term –

Rollout a feedback system – need to find one based on literature

• Start in one area, such as the line where Jeilang works
• Literature – what is the right approach? Anonymous suggestions? Or open conversations where they know they will not lose their job for making a suggestion?
• Budget required?
• Measurement – record quantity of suggestions, compare to previous
• Wording – based on system in India

Change language on signage

• May need to do away with signs all together in the future, but should be relatively simple and cheap fix for short term -  any idea how many signs??

Start offering English lessons to employees

• Ask them first if they are interested in this
• One hour per week as a group? On own time?
• Cost for tutor? Are there internal employees who can/want to do this?

Reduce/adjust supervision

• Employees more effective at night
• Where to put supervisors? Don’t want to fire and increase morale issues, but need to effectively use their time

Phase 2 – medium term

Business classes for employees

• bring in an instructor, but on employees own time?.
•  Based on surveys – “I want to own business” dominated survey responses – employees have overwhelming desire to learn.
• If on their own time low costs – but would they want?
• Need employees to evaluate – metrics – do they like the classes? Helpful?

Cross Train employees

• Look at which positions could easily cross train – but also give enough diversity to make interesting and keep employees engaged
• Set up system similar to rotational bump – how frequent? Twice per shift?

Phase 3 – long term

Do away with signage/change training methods

• Initial trainers have been teaching different protocols than the trainers on site
• Is there a point to initial training? All they remember is the salary, better just do on the job training?

Housing - enhance environment

• Poll employees to see what kind of services they would like
• Costs of these things – i.e. movie theatre, restaurants?

Implementation Bullet points

Improved Communication:-        

Accountability

• Expectations will be communicated to the employees from the start
• Re-examine the expectation once or twice in a month
• Give and take relevant feedback address strength, weaknesses and provide opportunity for two way communication(top down and bottom up)

Verbal

• Introduction of the employees to the management and the game changers, at the orientation
• Asking for anonymous feedback from the employees just like the 360-feedback system in a focus group(mentioned at the end)
• We will employ kurt Levin’s 3-step method for short and long term change in communication(unfreeze-create-refreeze)  
• Investment in an instant messenger or handheld device will improve the disconnect that can be observed in the managers and direct labour. As we know employees help employees more than the managers there we want to exploit that in a way that it actually increases the productivity.

Modification in Training:-

• Brainstorming sessions, Ice-breakers, field trip and tour, Training-aids(videos etc. because people learn better by observing, hearing, feeling and practicing)
• Use appropriate methodologies to keep participants involved and learning
• Behavioral modelling
• Offering meaningful training content
• Allowing trainees to learn through observation and experience

Diminishing Language barrier with training:-

• There is going to be a stress on English learning from the start because of the desire to learn and be successful by majority of the employees.
• Improving English by providing course material at work place such video material, business simulation game, self-access material.

Motivations with rewards:-

• Organizational rewards for effective employee commitment(this is in regards with Chinese work culture)
•  Extrinsic rewards: satisfaction with extrinsic benefits(Incudes base pay, bonus pay, medical coverage and social security provision)
• Social reward(Satisfaction with supervision, co-worker support)
• Intrinsic Reward: Role clarity and training provision.

Cross-training rather than Job rotation:-

• Implementing cross training to reduce boredom, increase production, increase innovation and reduce work stress.

 Rather than a feedback system I would recommend a focus group strategy.

• Focus group will consist of pairing of DL’s, IDl’s and engineers, this recommendation comes in the light of the fact that from the survey in part-C we can feel that most of the direct labour is very interested in learning and being trained to become better at what they do for the future. The improvements we can expect to see are:-

-as we talked about training being equivalent to providing no positive outcome, this focus group will yield better results in training also because of the desire to learn.

-Improved teamwork

-better feedback because of involvement of the hierarchical member of the organization  

- Increased production rate.

-break down mental barriers between employees and hierarchy, making the organization of the whole more approachable to employees