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Erin Caldwell은 십여곳의 SaaS 회사에서 시장 진입 전략을 수립하고 실행해 왔습니다. 그녀는 설득력 있는 스토리텔링과 고객 중심적인 사고를 결합하여 시장에서 Drishti의 가치를 입증하는 데 도움을 줍니다. Erin 전략마케팅으로 석사 학위를 받았으며 보스턴에 거주하고 있습니다.
Drishti recently convened a panel of experts to discuss the challenges of attracting, training, engaging and retaining the workforce in manufacturing.
Led by Drishti’s CEO, Gary Jackson, the panel consisted of:
Rebekah Kowalski, Vice President of Manpower Manufacturing: Rebekah’s work focuses on developing solutions that help organizations and leaders deal with the implications of both the shortage of rightly skilled workers, and the evolution of roles and skills.
Luke Monck, Senior Manager in Deloitte's manufacturing practice: Luke has a background in human capital. Luke designs and delivers the operating model/organizational design, talent, and change management solutions that business transformations require to be successful.
Arthur Wheaton, Director of Labor Studies at Industrial Labor Relations School Co-Lab, Cornell University: Arthur’s expertise includes workplace training, negotiations, costing out a contract and conflict resolution. He has previous experience in auto and aerospace industrial relations.
Dr. Prasad Akella, Founder and Chairman of Drishti: Dr. Prasad Akella is a serial entrepreneur. Prasad has created three massive categories by envisioning and commercializing deep tech products that empower humans in three very different areas: robotics, business social networks, computer vision/AI. Prasad is a Fellow of the SME and ASME.
Click here to view the full webinar.
Workers crave training
In the first part of the discussion, the panel talked about the perceptions of manufacturing and what needs to be done in order to attract a new generation of talent that the industry desperately needs. A major part of that first talking point was the need to offer opportunities for advancement and, as Rebekah put it, “upskilling.”
Training is invaluable — Drishti conducted a survey of 500 entry-level workers both inside and out of the manufacturing industry, and 63% of respondents said that they have the opportunity to learn new skills and expand their abilities in manufacturing. Training represents growth both for new and experienced employees. But while quality and productivity increase with better training, it is often resource-intensive, and companies do not put enough into their ongoing training efforts, instead opting for just good enough because of hectic schedules and priorities. Not only does the amount of training available to employees need to be increased generally – preferably on demand and ongoing – but the quality of training needs to improve, as well.
The power of video
Prasad gave an example of how video can help with training: When a professional quarterback throws an interception on the field, one of the first things he does after the play is to review the footage. He immediately sees what went right and wrong with the play and how to adjust his technique.
This footage is not given in the form of detailed discussion or notes from coaches (though they may supplement); rather, it is clear video footage of the play. What the player has as a result is a better feedback loop. Immediate remediation and advice that can help improve their game.
In manufacturing, the feedback loop exists, but as a much slower process. A person will make a mistake, and unfortunately, it will only be caught as a result of a product kickback or a negative KPI far later in time. Lean manufacturing has established standardized work to mitigate this, but there has been no way to speed up this feedback loop, until now.
Drishti has the ability to update the loop based on your standardized work in the same way that the player receives data based on his performance on the field. Imagine if every cycle were watched in real time and if a step were missed, done improperly, or done out of sequence, the worker was flagged and given feedback about what went wrong and how to fix it.
Closing the loop with Drishti
Arthur believes that video based training is an important add on, but needs to be an engagement mechanism; it can’t just be relied upon passively. The rest of the panel agrees and Prasad adds that there is value to getting feedback on every cycle without critique, which can be disheartening.
Luke sees the Drishti solution as an important breakdown of the wall between work and training. In such a system Drishti becomes a developmental support in a supplemental way: In other words, it’s never-ending — a positive for engagement and growth for the employee.
Rebekah clarifies this point even further by stating that true learning happens “when we close the loop between learning and doing," improving on what you know in real time and not suffering degradation. Additionally, she sees technologies like Drishti as native to younger generations.
She adds that In a world where we look up videos on YouTube and TikTok, there is less patience for older lean methodologies like completing a fishbone diagram to troubleshoot an issue. New generations just want the answer now. With Drishti spot-checking standardized work and delivering insights immediately, there is no guesswork.
Arthur brings up the point that there is some hesitation for video deriving from the concern for privacy. But if the purpose of the technology is geared toward verification rather than a reprimand, and it’s there to assist, then it’s great. No one likes the idea of “big brother,” and Drishti is designed with this in mind, making sure workers' identities are obscured and making feedback about empowerment rather than wrongdoing.
Training for keeps
Earlier in the conversation, Prasad brought up the high turnover rate in manufacturing, which was nearly 40% in 2021. He states, “If you have an annual churn rate of over 30%, knowing you are spending seven-plus weeks training a person who may be gone in a year, it’s all that more important [to improve and speed up training].” Not only does new technology have the ability to make new employees more effective, faster than ever before, but the ongoing support and training has the potential to turn the tide and make career employees out of the workforce — cutting down on churn.
For more information about the challenges related to attracting, training, and engaging workers as well as how Drishti can help, watch the full webinar. You can also download Drishti’s comprehensive guidebook filled with even more strategies on how to deal with workforce challenges.
