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Organizational change is always a challenge. The majority are—up to 70%– Percentage of cases in which change efforts are unsuccessful.
However, leaving it unchanged is not an option. Business transformation remains at the forefront of organizations as companies navigate cultural change, digital transformation, and disruption.
The challenges associated with change will only become more difficult.As change progresses, employee sentiment toward change worsens: Gartner finds that employees are more motivated to support change in their companies. decreased to 43% This will increase from 74% in 2016 to 2022.
Change is especially complex for the food and beverage industry, as companies deal with constant evolution of people, processes, and technology in an industry that is strict on standardization and where mistakes can have serious consequences.
In this article, we explore how you can leverage our team’s insights to unlock cultural change in food and beverage manufacturing environments.
Change is especially difficult in manufacturing environments. why?
Successful changes in manufacturing environments face a unique set of obstacles.
Focus on efficiency and productivity: Manufacturing businesses operate according to strict production schedules and deadlines. Focusing on adapting to new initiatives can hinder the work that needs to be done and impact performance and profitability.
Standardization: The manufacturing process is highly standardized and has been developed over many years of studying best practices. New methods that deviate from typical processes can be met with resistance and frustration as employees feel uncomfortable operating in an unfamiliar way.
Impact of disruption: Food and beverage manufacturing plants include many different types of machinery, technology, and people working together. A single mistake can wreak havoc on an entire line or even an entire factory.
Employee challenges: According to research 85% of companies Manufacturing report shows 40% of frontline manufacturing workers are feeling the strain of talent shortages I changed jobs last year. Between skills gaps, workforce shortages, and employee retention, change can be difficult to implement on a shaky foundation.
Technology resistance: Even though technology is opening doors of opportunity and creating new roles in the food and beverage industry, manufacturing employees are reluctant to hire new employees for fear of losing their jobs or becoming obsolete. They may be hesitant to embrace technology.
Cultural disconnect: Survey finds disconnect between shop floor and company culture: 70% of non-site manufacturing workers report engaged in one’s role, But for front-line workers, that number drops to 48%. When new initiatives are introduced by company leaders, front-line employees may develop negative attitudes toward change or become indifferent.
To make effective change, focus on the following solutions:
#1: Find factory-level leaders to drive change
Because of the cultural differences between frontline and corporate employees, finding plant-level leaders who are change agents and stakeholders in the initiative will lead to better results. In fact, Prosci research shows that effective sponsorship increases a project’s chances of success. 25%～85%.
“Think about your investments every day,” said a manufacturing and supply chain leader david keisling. “Without trust, employees will do what they need to do, but that’s about it. When there is trust and they work for people who care about them and care about their leaders and the organization, When that happens, the results will be incredible.”
#2: Clarify the purpose and benefits of the project
One of the biggest causes of resistance to change is confusion. If leaders don’t have a clear understanding of why change is needed, what the process will be, and its benefits, there will undoubtedly be resistance.Clearing confusion should be a priority: research shows that only 68% of senior executives Understand the reasons for the big changeswhich drops to 40% for first-line supervisors.
“Change is not a one-size-fits-all,” said Jennifer DiAngelo, vice president of Catena Solutions. “Leaders need to think about how this change will impact each individual on the floor to understand how they think and communicate the why and benefits in a relatable way. , is critical for factory-level change agents to connect with employees.”
#3: Understand skill sets and competencies
Before rolling out an initiative, leaders should consider conducting a skills and competency assessment to understand employees’ ability to embrace change.
“During change, some employees will not have the specific skill sets needed to adapt to new ways of working, especially when it comes to technology initiatives,” D’Angelo said. “Upskilling and reskilling is essential here. Organizations need to create new structures, update job descriptions, and work together to get employees where they need to be to support this effort. There may be.”
Good news?According to research 80% of manufacturing workers They are more interested in learning new skills than the national average of 70%. However, time is a major impediment to upskilling, so organizations must allocate appropriate time over the life of the project.
#4: Position technology as a career advancement opportunity
It’s no secret that new technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in manufacturing. However, this can raise concerns among workers who are unsure of how technology will impact their work.
To help workers overcome this fear, transformational leaders must articulate and highlight how technology presents new opportunities for advancement.
Matt Wessels, Human Capital Transformation Leader at Catena Solutions, said: “Robotics and automation are becoming more prevalent in food and beverage manufacturing, and companies need to understand how this will impact their workforce. We need to recognize that.” “New technologies often require human expertise to operate and perform correctly, and this can create opportunities for workers to acquire new skill sets. Otherwise, the technology will be met with resistance.”
#5: Value employee voice
As research on change management grows, we learn how important it is to involve employees in the process. Open source changes, where employees are encouraged to make collaborative decisions, plan their own implementation, and talk about the changes, have historically been more successful than top-down changes.
Evidence: The open source change strategy is: 14 times more likely 29% less risk of change fatigue for employees compared to top-down change. Additionally, if an employee owns the plan for implementing an initiative, the success rate of change increases by 24%.
“Engaging with an organization makes a big difference,” Keisling says. “I’m a big believer that participation gets you registered. You can’t force anything on people. You have to engage with them and come up with solutions together. At the end of the day, it’s It’s a way to ensure cultural change sticks.”
#6: Overestimating the amount of training you need
Finally, leaders should overestimate how much training will be needed on the front lines to make the change stick.
“Adequate training is a major hurdle for food and beverage manufacturers in transition,” said Wessels. “While the human element is actually the most important part of the effort, the time and resources invested in training and onboarding employees have been disastrous; We’re seeing companies that aren’t taking advantage of it.”
To solve this, organizations need to create a comprehensive training plan that goes beyond the initiative’s inception. Ongoing and ongoing training is required to ensure that employees understand their role in the change at each stage of the process and are able to ask questions and make adjustments along the way.
To overcome the unique challenges and solutions that bring changes to manufacturing environments, companies may want to consider bringing in external resources skilled in food and beverage transformation. Learn more about how Catena solutions can help your efforts. contact.
About Catena Solutions: Catena Solutions supports food and beverage organizations by leveraging our expertise to drive growth, optimize operations, and address industry challenges. We leverage our network of industry-experienced consultants to advise and execute on client initiatives in the areas of strategy, optimization, people, and regulation. If you would like to learn more please visit:
