SOLUTIONS
Sigtek, which was founded by three Western Electric veterans 25 years ago, manufactures printed circuit boards for signal handling. Sigtek, a small telecommunication company, sold its products to AT&T and long-distance carriers. In the beginning, the company comprised of 1000 employees with the sales of $60 million. However, the strategy of the company failed to achieve its targets and goals that reduce the company’s workforce to 800 employees and sales dropped to $40 million. During this time, another company known as Telwork, a Europe telecommunications company acquired Sigtek. After acquiring the company, Telwork formulated Six Sigma Quality Program to improve product quality, best management practices and create diversification in the company.
According to the case, John Smithers, a dedicated engineering manager was chosen by Sigtek's vice president to become an instructor of the Total Quality Program. However, the company failed to achieve its targets and goals to implement a total quality program effectively. Moreover, John Smithers faced numerous challenges and issues regarding the TQM such as Sigtek’s engineering and manufacturing divisions, and negative relationship between Richard Patricof. Moreover, the issues include the lack of strong leadership, lack of employees’ involvement and commitment, high competition, and destructive feedback from the senior managers. Apart from that, untrusting environment led the company to face low morale and unity among departments to achieve the company’s goals.
Therefore, it is highly important for the John Smithers and the company to develop a winning strategy, in order to overcome the challenges and issues faced by the company. First, Smithers need to strengthen his position power to improve his ability and skills to bring effective change in the organization. Moreover, he needs to expand his network internally and externally to talk with the quality instructors in other departments as well as gain experience from senior managers. Networking will help Smithers to identify what problems other instructors are facing and how to deal with them. Furthermore, the effective network would give Smithers potential allies because Patricof were to block his efforts. Apart from that, the external networking will help Smithers to increase the information that how to effectively implement the quality change in the company.
Second, the major problem arises is the negative relationship between Smithers and Patricof. Therefore, it is important for Smithers to build a collaborative strategy with Patricof, and improve communication and relationship, in order to identify the mutual interest of the both and work together to achieve the company’s goal. However, if the collaborative effort failed, Smithers can initiate different strategy such as hostile or avoiding strategy. But if Patricof refuses to work with him, these strategies would not work for a long-term. Therefore, the collaborative strategy will lead Smithers to achieve its task and implement quality change in the company. Moreover, the Smithers should involve Patricof and other the senior manager in the meeting and the training session of Six Sigma Quality Program. The training will help the managers gain more skills and knowledge regarding the change management in the company. Moreover, training will help to persuade and educate Patricof regarding six sigma and gained his support.
Third, John Smithers should remove the management barriers by developing open communication, diversification, and flexible working environment to encourage both engineering and operations department to work together and achieve the company goals. Moreover, the John should establish a cross-functional team that helps them to communicate effectively and overcome the conflicts among the employees. Furthermore, the HR department involves new trainers from the different department as well as allocates the time; budget and expenses run the TQM program effectively. Fourth, John Smithers should initiate a diversification strategy in the company because this strategy comprises of the many benefits such as innovation, higher-quality employees, lower absenteeism and turnover rate and maximize market share. Therefore, it is highly important for the company to implement the Six Sigma Quality Program, in order to prosper and sustain the growth of the company in the long run...............
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