One blog in the industry that I read regularly is written by Derek Singleton who is ERP Analyst at Software Advice. He posted some thougts on how we can overcome the skills gap in manufacturing.
He states, “The media has amply covered the manufacturing skills gap. Little attention, however, has been given to how we can overcome this deficit. I discuss three ways in my article that we can equip people with the right skills:
1. Strengthen educational partnerships
2. Invest in coporate in-house training programs
3. Energize the workforce of tomorrow”
Anyone out there have any thoughts on this matter? You can post here, or preferrably head over to his blog and start a discussion.
I have been wrapped up in many meetings this week, plus planning the June and July issues of Automation World, plus interviewing for an article on Ethernet networking implementation best practices (if you have ideas on that topic, please write to me soon.
I’ve been accumulating a bunch of links to cool information lately. Here are some of them. I tweet these from @garymintchell almost every morning.
“He said ‘Man, give it five minutes.’ I asked him what he meant by that? He said, it’s fine to disagree, it’s fine to push back, it’s great to have strong opinions and beliefs, but give my ideas some time to set in before you’re sure you want to argue against them. ‘Five minutes’ represented ‘think,’ not react. He was totally right. I came into the discussion looking to prove something, not learn something.”
Light-based Chips.
From Engadget–Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have flipped the switch on a new type of computer circuit. Unlike conventional silicon, the new chip uses light — not electricity — to perform its logic. By creating an array of nano-rods, light-flow can be treated like voltage and current.
Had a conversation about a soccer team yesterday. No, this isn’t a soccer post–but didn’t the US Men’s National Team have a great win v Italy this week?
The conversation was about coaching, something I can extrapolate to management. It seems a coach took over a group of kids who had played together for about eight years as they entered their senior year of high school. By the end of the year, that collegial group of kids and parents were turned into a bickering, divisive, dysfunctional group of people. A team with great potential fizzled out by the end of the year.
How did this happen? Totally due to leadership. Instead of treating people fairly with respect to discipline, the coach/manager dealt different consequences to different kids for similar offences. Instead of treating each player with respect and placing each in a position to succeed, the coach treated some well and others not.
How do you manage? Do you treat all your reports as adults? Do you place each in a position of responsibility commensurate with their skills, abilities and maturity level–yet with a chance to grow? Do you give people the space to make decisions and learn? Are you encouraging, yet hold them responsible for their actions?
Back by popular demand from all three of my subscribers–a video essay on manufacturing. It’s February in Western Ohio and I’m sitting outside wearing nothing warmer than a shirt…
