“Manage more, supervise less.” – Bryce’s Law When I got into the work force back in the mid-1970’s it seemed everyone dressed in a suit and tie, drank black coffee, smoked their brains out, and worked their butts off.
We used to care about the work we produced; there was a sense of craftsmanship, regardless of the job.
As Toynbee remarked, “The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” By doing so, we identify more closely with our work and assume a greater pride in workmanship.
As strange as it may sound, I see Craftsmanship as being patriotic in nature; doing a good quality job is part of leading a good and honorable life and builds on the individual’s esteem, the company he works for, and the country he lives in.
The manager’s primary goal is to create the proper work environment for employees to produce the desired work products.
Yes, people need to be trained in order to properly perform their work but following this, employees should be mature enough to supervise themselves.
Craftsmanship is universally applicable to any line of work.
In the absence of craftsmen, a rigorous methodology or assembly line process is required to produce quality goods using workers without the expertise of craftsmen.
Such processes detail “Who” is to perform “What” work, “When”, “Where”, “Why” and “How”, thereby assuring a quality product or service is produced.
Craftsmanship can be found in either the overall work process or a section of it.
The scope of work may relate to other types of craftsmen through a chain of work dependencies, e.g., Craftsmen A, B and C concentrate on separate sub-assemblies which are eventually joined into a single product.
Earlier we discussed the need for a methodology that specifies 5W H. The craftsman is intimate with all details of his scope of work, so much so, he could probably write the methodology himself.
Further, his intimacy of the work process means he can produce a reliable estimate of time and costs to perform the work.
The craftsman’s attention to detail also means that he demonstrates patience in his work effort.
Conversely, making a work related mistake of any kind pains a true craftsman.
The craftsman is in tune with his work environment and corporate culture.
Even if people leave the company, they will recommend your company because they know the quality of the work produced.
Supporting the education needs of our workers is not only smart, it is good business.
Teach them the need for producing quality work; they should become intimate with all aspects of their work process.
Want value? How does a loyal customer base who has confidence in your products or services sound? And what effect would employee harmony have, particularly if they believed in the work they were producing? It would be mind-boggling, all because we had faith in the human spirit to produce superior results.
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