Front Line
news, trends & tactics
Cutting the middle kills productivity
middle mana gers are front-line communicators
Cutting middle managers jeopardizes company productivity
more than it saves costs, a study from McMaster University
suggests.
“Middle managers are the front-line communicators with
employees,” according to Rick Hackett, Canada Research
Chair in Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance
at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University in
Hamilton, Ontario. “One-on-one social exchanges between
bosses and their workers have a real impact on employee productivity, behavior, and commitment, and when you cut middle management, often you lose that interaction,” he said.
Hackett found interactions between employers and employees must be reciprocal to be most beneficial. For example, if a
supervisor entrusts an employee with an important project
and takes some risk by making the assignment, the employee
is more likely to feel obligated to reflect positively on the
supervisor, even after the project has finished. And in return,
the employee is more likely to trust that the employer will
reward good performance and give further opportunities.
In his study published in the Academy of Management Journal,
Hackett emphasized that rewards are not necessarily monetary. They can be as simple as increased autonomy, access
to privileged information, or more opportunities for profesAccording to Rick Hackett, cutting out middle management reduces
communication between corporate leaders and workers.
sional development.
Fork truck training simplified
simulator preparation aimed at minimizin g workplace risks
Researchers in Spain are working on the implementation of a
tasks, and the system indicates to them the number and type of
fork lift truck simulator aimed at minimizing workplace risks
errors they committed.
through training.
The research is led by Public University of Navarre mechani-
In the second part of the project, researchers are developing
a standardized driving test for future fork lift operators.
cal engineering department member Jesus Maria Pintor and
Simulation users wear a virtual reality helmet and interact
consists of two parts. The first part entails training. In this
with a joystick, a steering wheel, and pedals to produce a
aspect, the system takes operators inside a virtual reality sce-
realistic and real-time environment.
nario that simulates a large industrial plant with loading
andunloading bays. Operators are put through a series of
1 I n d u st ri al En gi n ee r
Immigration officials posing as OS HA
professional
associations object to im personations
At least two national professional associations have lodged
ICEofficials indicated they would continue to allow agents
complaints over reports that the U.S. Bureau of Immigration
to pose as officials from other agencies, including OSHA, for
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may continue the practice
the purpose of routing out illegal immigrants at work sites.
of allowing agents to pose as Occupational Safety and Health
In February, the American Society of Safety Engineers and
Administration personnel for the purpose of rounding up
the American Industrial Hygiene Association each sent a let-
illegal immigrants.
ter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael
Last July, federal ICE agents arrested 4 8 workers in North
Chertoff opposing the practice.
Carolina on charges of being illegal immigrants after the
“ASSE insists that you intervene and make sure the imper-
agents tricked workers into attending what was billed as a
sonation of OSHA personnel ends,” wrote ASSE President
mandatory OSHA safety training session. After the sting,
Jack H. Dobson.
the federal Department of Labor and OSHA criticized the
ASSE and AIHA speculate that if the deceptive practice
deception, stating that it compromised workplace safety and
continues, illegal immigrants may become fearful of raising
health.
safety and health issues or complaining about unsafe condi-
A closed meeting was held in January between ICE and
immigration and labor groups. Reports filtered out that
tions in their places of work, thereby undermining OSHA’s
efforts to address problems that immigrant workers face.
Serious workplace injuries decline
financial consequences slowin g but remain high
A new Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index reports a 6.2 of Social Insurance is used to compile the reports, which have
percent drop in the number of serious workplace injuries. been published for six years.
However, the financial impact remains high.
In 200 3,U.S.workers’ compensation benefits totaled $ 50.8
billion for the most disabling injuries. Although the costs are
The index also reveals that overexertion,bodily reaction,and
falls account for substantially more of the total costs in 200 3
(59 .3 percent) than in 1 99 8 (55 .9 percent).
significant, the annual growth rate slowed considerably — to
“Changes in the work environment and safety practices may
0. 7 percent in 200 3 from 6. 5 percent in 2002 (after adjusting
be working to reduce injury reports,but here is clearly a need to
for inflation).
do more,” according to principal investigator Helen Wellman.
The annual index tracks the leading causes of disabling
“Efforts need to be made to control injury severity and financial
workplace injuries and their costs. Data from Liberty Mutual,
burden, particularly in the area of physical exertion and slips,
the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National
trips, and falls.”
Academy
< < < pr i m e n u m b e r > > >
d a n ge r o u s i n f l u e n c e
Workplace alcohol use and impairment directly affects an estimated 1
5 % of the U.S. work force, or 19.2 million
workers, according to a University of Buffalo study.
April 2006 2
front line
Policy changes could reduce injuries
r e port: job rotation, other techniques hel p poultr y workers
A survey of Hispanic poultry workers in
performed,may influence worker health.
of keeping up with an assembly line are
western North Carolina suggests that pol-
Among their recommendations:
both associated with increased risk of
icy changes such as encouraging job rota-
 Worker advocacy groups and commu-
musculoskeletal problems.
tionandcreatingworkersafetycommittees
nity agencies should work with poultry
could result in fewer worker injuries.
processing plants to build a culture of reported, on average, that management’s
“Policy changes are needed to improve
safety in the plants.
The survey also showed that workers
commitment to safety was moderate.
the health and safety of workers,” said
 Companies should create safety com-
When workers perceived the commitment
Joseph Grzywacz, Ph.D., of the Center
mitteesthatincludeworkersfromacross
to safety as low,there was an increased risk
for Latino Health Research at Wake
the company to give workers more
con-
of respiratory symptoms and occupational
Forest University School of Medicine.
“Poultry processing has among the highest occupational illness and injury rates
of any private industry.”
The recommendations follow a 200 5
report showing that almost half of workers had pain in their hands or arms during the previous month and 2 5 percent
reported an occupational illness or injury
in the past year.
In this second report, the researchers
discuss how management practices, such
as the way jobs are designed or
trol over their work environment.
 Companies should implement a job
rotation program to increase job variety
and reduce the incidence of injuries.
Data were collected on worker health,
characteristics of poultry processing jobs,
andmanagementpracticesrelatedtosafety
and supervision. The results show that
workers’ jobs require frequent awkward
postures and repetitive movements,they
have little control over their work, and
they report little variety in their tasks.
illnesses or injury.
In 2004,an estimated 2 35,100 workers
were employed in the poultry processing
industry with a majority concentrated in
southern states. Nationwide, almost half
(42 percent) of poultry processing workers
are Hispanic, and 26 percent are foreignborn, representing countries from across
Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the
Pacific.
The research is part of a four-year
project funded by the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health.
Minimal task variety and the demands
U n c o m m o n IE
Ecological investment officer
THE TASK AT HAND: The EcoEnterprises Fund — a joint initiative of The
Nature Conservancy and the Inter-American Development Bank — uses the
principles of venture capital to protect natural areas in Latin America and the
Caribbean. The fund provides financing to for-profit environmental entrepreneurs launching projects such as ecotourism and sustainable coffee farming.
Eugenia Villalobos, one of a three-person team of investors working in Costa
Rica,performs financial,environmental,and social analyses of business proposals, then conducts site visits to observe industrial processes as well as health
and safety standards.
EVER THE IE: Engineering economy is central to Vallalobos’ work.Her knowledge of industrial processes, capacities, and health and safety standards is also
exercised regularly. “I definitely think that it ’s very important in Latin America
for companies to gain consciousness not only for the financial side but also the
environmental and social components of responsible enterprises,” she says.
2 I n d u st ri al En gi n ee r
Don’t-miss e v e n t
Supply chain superiority
Promising “measures,metrics,and methodologies to synchro- address and panel discussions round out the program.
nize your supply chain,” Supply Chain Excellence 2006 offers
two days of educational sessions under six umbrella categories
plus a day of post-conference workshops.Topical areas include
strategic sourcing,supplier relationship management,demand
planning and forecasting, lean Six Sigma, demand-driven
upp ly Chain Exce llence 2006, Orlando, Fla., April
18-20, (703) 894-0481, http://www.asmiweb.com/
events/2006/supply_chain.
For a full listing of educational opportunities and events,
go to www.iienet.org/public/calendar.
supply chain, and measuring and mitigating risk. A keynote
EDU briefs
Miami in Coral Gables to establish a laboratory for supply
biomanufacturing-related bachelor’s degrees in chain management in the College of Engineering. • The
industrial engineering and industrial technology
University of Miami launched the Johnson A. Edosomwan
New
will debut at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.
Leadership Institute at its College of Engineering. It will
The planning is being funded by a $1 5 ,000 grant from the offer leadership courses, master’s degrees, leadership certifiNorth Carolina Biotechnology Center. • Office Depot has cate programs, fellowships, scholarships, conferences, and
contributed $ 4.5 million to three south Florida universities. workshops.
Among the awards is $ 50 0 , 0 0 0 to the University of
April 2006 2
front line
Mass casualty logistics planning
r e s e a r c h pa r t n e r s h i p w i l l a i d d i s a s t e r s u ppo r t
Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC)
are partnering with Lockheed Martin to develop a computerized system to help hospitals nationwide plan for and deal
with mass casualties from disasters such as hurricanes, a flu
pandemic, and bioterrorism. The system will aid in readiness
planning, simulate a disaster situation for testing purposes,
and act as a decision support system in a real disaster.
The system, for which Lockheed is providing the
research funding, will be an extension of a prototype
already developed at WCMC in collaboration with ORManhattan, the New York City program of the School of
Operations Research and Industrial Engineering on
Cornell’s Ithaca campus. The partnership with Lockheed
aims to combine Cornell’s computer models with command-and-control systems Lockheed has developed for
medical services in the military. Other technology companies will be invited to join a consortium on the project.
“In light of the 9-11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the
persistent threat of terrorism, we believe there is an
urgent need to develop logistics solutions for planning
and response in the face of mass casualty events,” said Jack
Muckstadt, the Acheson-Laibe Professor of Operations
Research and Industrial Engineering at Cornell and director of OR-Manhattan.
The goal is to create a distributed communications system that would coordinate the work of emergency
responders, hospital managers, and local and regional
officials. It would combine real-time reports from
responders in the field with databases of hospital capacity
and resources to show, for example, how 100 burn victims
might be distributed among three hospitals or where a
ward full of premature infants in intensive care could be
moved if a particular hospital needed to be evacuated.
The models the Cornell researchers have developed are
the first to focus on treatment capacity. The new system
would keep track of such resources as beds, intensive care
units, emergency departments, operating rooms, doctors,
nurses and other health professionals, transportation assets
such as ambulances and other EMS units, and even
supplies such as bandages and fuel for generators.
Site t o see
S igns of respect
Before grabbing your laptop and heading to the airport for
your next international business meeting, make a quick stop
at Aquent’s Business of Touch (www.businessoftouch.com).
The site presents a succinct overview of the proper way to
greet and take leave of business associates from more than
a dozen different cultures. You’ll learn that it’s nothing personal if a Spaniard stands unusually close or an Australian
keeps you at arm’s length. Knowing when to shake hands
versus bow and whether or not to maintain eye contact will
help you stay respectful and position you as a courteous
business associate.
< << Quote, unQuote >> >
recurring habit
“Business process re-engineering, which turned from fad to flop a few years ago, has rebounded and is now utilized by
some 61 percent of companies,” according to the Bain & Co. survey Management Tools 2005.
2 I n d u st ri al En gi ne e r
Safety and health competition open
Organizations worldwide are eligible to participate in a productivity,profitability,and other measures of business perfor -National
Safety Council competition for business excellence mance. The 200 5 award recipient was Johnson & Johnson.
in safety, health, and environmental management.
Companies compete in two size categories: enterprises of
The call for Robert W.Campbell Award applications seeks suc- more than 1,000 employees and those with less than 1,000.
cessful business models from organizations that excel in both The award is administered by the National Safety Council.
SH&Eandbusinessperformance.Casestudiesmustdemonstrate Applications for the award must be postmarked by June 30. how
measurable achievement in SH&E performance is linked to Submittal requirements are at www.campbelaward.org.
DILBERT
IIE C l a s s r o o m s E m I n a r s
Become more valuable to
your organization, while giving
your resume a boost.
Enroll in an IIE Professional Seminar
Statistics
April 13-14
Designing Successful
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April 27-28
ent Tools for
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For more information
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Engineer
April 2006 2
front line
National safety through simulation
sandia researchers use s ystems-level o perations modelin g
Sandia National Laboratories’ recent work on border security is
itson-site inventories and shipments by up to 1 5 percent, lead-
on its way to providing federal agencies with simulation capa-
ing to increased business costs and decreased sales figures. In
bility that lets officials test various security solutions prior to
addition, says Ehlen, the firms that ship through the port will
investing in them, according to Carolyn Pura. Pura serves as
be affected by the delays and increased costs and may take their
the program deputy for borders and transportation security in
business elsewhere.
Sandia’s homeland security business unit.
Sandia’s models, by simulating the effects of detector place-
The focus of the Borders Grand Challenge,funded by a three-
ment, the use of facial recognition software, or the impact of
year, $6 million laboratory-directed research and development
other technology devices and strategies, can give decision
project,was to develop simulation-based systems analyses char-
makers specific and reliable data to help make sound decisions
acterizing the security of the U.S.Border System and the impact
about how and where to invest.
of new detection technologies and concepts of operation.
The models themselves come in two primary forms. Mid-
The interactive analysis portion of the program has largely
fidelity models offer a bigger-picture look at a border location
focused on the illegal smuggling of radiological or nuclear
that might give users the ability,for example,to view personally
material but can also be applied to other threats such as
owned vehicle and cargo vehicle flows at an actual facility using
explosives or chemical or biological agent attack. The work
that facility’s own procedures. A higher-fidelity model, seen on
uses detailed models that capture actual facilities and proce-
the computer screen when an operator zooms in on activity,
dures and examines border operations of all kinds. Of utmost
might feature detailed sensor modeling and focus on security
concern is the flow of people and goods through the various
interrogation.
border bottlenecks.
Though Pura and project manager Dan Horschel say the work
Sandia researcher Mark Ehlen served as the lead for economic
represents the most comprehensive modeling work available
modeling. He notes that a unique feature of the program is its
on border security, the research has the potential to go much
ability to project the economic impact that might be felt if a
further. Ideally, Sandia could extend the capability to all ports
venue implements certain security options. A typical port
of entry across the country,creating a complete national model
whose processing time increases due to a newly configured set
that is able to examine changing security measures and opera-
of chemical detectors,for example,might expect to increase
tions and their impact.
B o o k of t h e m o n t h
Th i n k li ke Toyota
Toyota recently announced its plans to produce a record 9.06 million cars this year, a
10 percent increase over 200 5. While many manufacturers have imitated the Toyota
Production System or lean manufacturing, few have approached the efficiency and qual ity of Toyota.
In the new English translation of Inside the Mind of Toyota, author Satoshi Hino empha
sizes that the strength of the company lies not solely in TPS but in the mechanism b
which Toyota transmits its “genes” through its fundamental thinking and manageme
structures.
From the perspective of a professional with 30 years’ experience in the auto indu
Hino presents a detailed analysis of Toyota’s essential management system, from its
beginnings into the 21st century.
Inside the Mind of Toyota is published by Productivity Press ($ 50).
2 I n d u st ri al E n gi n ee r
Patent quality makeover
ibm hopes improvement initiative w i l l drive u.s. innovation
IBM, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and
software to help ensure that patents are issued only for
Open Source Development Labs will undertake an initiative
actual software inventions.
focused on improving U.S. patent quality. The partnership,
• The Patent Quality Index will create a unified, numeric
which will also involve members of the open source software
index to assess the quality of patents and patent appli-
community and academia, will help accelerate innovation in
cations. The index will be constructed with extensive
the United States, according to IBM.
community input, backed by statistical research, and will
The initiative has three elements:
become a dynamic, evolving tool with broad applicability
 Open Patent Review seeks to establish an open,
collaborative community review in the patenting process
for inventors, participants in the marketplace, and the
patent office.
to improve the quality of patent examination. This
“Raising the quality of patents will encourage continued
program will encourage communities to review pending
investment in research and development by individual inven-
patent applications online and provide feedback to the
tors, small businesses, corporations, and academic institu-
patent office.
tions while helping to prevent over-protection that works
 Open Source Software as Prior Art will establish open
against innovation and the public interest,” according to John
source software — with its millions of lines of publicly
E. Kelly III, Ph.D., IBM senior vice president of technology
available computer source code contributed by thousands
and intellectual property.
of programmers — as potential prior art (public knowledge) against patent applications. As a result, both patent
In 200 5, IBM earned 2, 941 patents, more U.S. patents
than any other company for the 1 3 th consecutive year.
examiners and the public will be able to use open source
Southeast Quality Conference
Connects with Lean Conference
To Deliver One Powerfuly Combined Conference
• Benchmark Tools and Techniques
• Accelerate Your Initiative
• Learn New Tools to Improve Quality
• Network with Quality & Lean Leaders
• Walk Your Legs Off At the Expo
April 2006 2