One for making the new operational processes effective.3-

One of the non-financial benefits of the JIT system is the enhanced level of motivation on the part of the employees. Implementing the cell manufacturing system means that there will be less supervision in the individual cells and as a result, employees will be empowered to make their decisions. This will add to the motivational factor of the employees.

Other benefits are the minimization of inventory. This will minimize the level of carrying costs and therefore facilitate the implementation of the cost minimization strategy. The costs will be incurred from upgrading the machinery so that they could be made compatible with the cell manufacturing system.

2- At what stage, and how, should Dean sell his idea to the Joinery Manager and the workers? Dean should sell the idea to the Joiner manager and to the workers at the very start during the conceptual stage. Most projects of this kind fail because employees are unwilling to accept change. Therefore it is a critical success factor to involve the workers from the very beginning in order to make them contribute to the process. The success of the conversion depends on the early involvement of the workers because they are in the best position to generate ideas on how to maximize the efficiency of the process design. It is a critical consideration to maximize the number of contributions from the workers because they will ultimately be responsible for making the new operational processes effective.

3- How different would the cell work be to that in the main Joinery Department? The cell work would be different because the entire floor of the department would be divided into small cells that would specialize in different parts of the product manufacturing process. That would all change with the conversion to the cell manufacturing system. The new system would also differ in terms of the workers being assigned to individual cells rather than being responsible for all parts of the process. It would also involve training the workers so that they can adapt to the cell operational. 4- Should Dean differentiate the working environment by providing distinctive work-wear such as T-shirts and distinctively painted machines, in order to reinforce a cultural change? Dean should implement the suggested changes because as mentioned before, the project is one of managing change. This means that the management should build an organizational culture that is based on the process of innovation.

Employees are the most important assets of an organization and therefore the top management should create the best possible working conditions designed to maximize employee satisfaction. This means that Dean will have to sell the idea to the workers because the cell manufacturing system will entail completely different work processes. 5-What risks are associated with Dean’s proposal? The risks associated with Dean’s proposal have to do with the costs that will be incurred as a result of the factory floor being rearranged. There will be work stoppages during the implementation process. Additional costs will be incurred in the form of formal training and development programs that will have to be conducted in order to help the employees adapt to the new structure. The equipment might have to be upgraded from time to time. These upgrades might be costly in the event that the equipment is bolted to the floor.