Strong Supply Chains Through Resilient Operations

CHAPTER 10Create Resilient Teams by Combining Expertise into Economies of Skill

Building a resilient workforce is essential. But dealing with people and culture issues can be hard because they're so unique to your particular situation. Rather than data‐driven initiatives, you may need to rely on broader sets of skills. Here are five approaches to consider.

Make Time to Listen to Your People—What Bothers Them Should Bother You

In the 19th century, your biggest assets were physical: a factory, a mine, a farm, an oceangoing vessel. In the 21st century, no matter what business you're in, you're in the people business. Even as physical assets become more sophisticated—automated assembly lines needing less grunt labor—they are more dependent on the knowledgeable employees in control.

For example, that oceangoing vessel has evolved into a sophisticated supply chain. Yet to build resilient supply chains, you need to build resilient teams. And you need to pay as much attention to your teams as to your physical assets. To get data on predictive maintenance of your physical assets, you can invest in sensors and networks (as we will discuss in Chapter 11). To get data on your people, you already have the sensors you need—ears.

Make time to listen to your team. Presumably you already talk to them, about work. But you also need to listen: create opportunities for them to share problems or worries. To give them a feeling of safety, try to do this outside of regular work meetings or feedback ...