Materials & Construction

Materials & Construction

Leading materials and construction company applies proven performance management methods to increase leadership skills and improve key operational areas.

A division of this leading materials and construction company used proven Performance Management methods to increase leadership skills and define best practices at the Frontline Supervisory level to improve key operational areas including dispatching, productivity, quality, and safety.
 

Situation:

One of America’s largest suppliers of aggregates, ready-mix concrete, and construction and paving services understood that world class safety, superior production, and long term profitability has a direct correlation to leadership capabilities and the positive way in which performance is managed. Comprised of dozens of diverse companies, spread over an expansive geography, they were challenged to create a consistent leadership approach that delivered the same leadership values to all Frontline Supervisors.

With the commitment of Senior Leaders, they instituted a leadership program that enabled their Frontline Supervisors to become skilled in achieving business results the right way through effective tools of leadership. This program allowed employees to maintain and exceed safety and other industry standard practices while creating a culture where, in a very transient industry, the employees report feeling valued. In turn, they were able to demonstrate their commitment to doing more of the right things because the supervision they receive is based on principles of sound leadership using positive motivation strategies.
 

Solution Implemented:

A leadership program was developed to first create a level playing field, one where the leadership values would be institutionalized throughout the division. Using ADI’s Performance Management (PM) approach, each Frontline Supervisor attended a training session to understand these PM principles and practice how to apply them in their own work environments. The principles and tools used in the training session included a step-by-step process for solving problems and creating effective work systems that are designed to change the way people work, resulting in measurable and important improvements.  

Site Champions from across the division were also trained and coached to be the “on the ground” support for Frontline Supervisors as they reentered their work environments and applied these behavioral tools and leadership values to get behavior change started and to keep it going. 

The commitment and development of the leadership skills of these Frontline Supervisors and their effectiveness in leading others resulted in tremendous improvement and provided developmental and growth opportunities throughout the division. Through this leadership program and the PM technology, this company was able to hit their business targets, improve productivity, sustain quality and build safe work habits.
 

 Results of Intervention:

• Through pinpointing, operators at one plant focused on shutting down their loaders instead of letting them run idle between jobs, saving the company $16,500/month in fuel costs.
• One plant reduced emergency shut down costs on their crusher from 30% to 13% in the first month by identifying the standards and providing regular feedback and data to the crew, resulting in proactively scheduling maintenance before unnecessary shutdowns occurred.
• Using consistent visual and verbal feedback, an Accounts Receivable team that provides services to many companies was able to increase accurate invoicing by 8% within two weeks of implementation.
• Plant Managers were devoted to getting out in the field and providing positive reinforcement and feedback to their employees resulting in the employees doing the same with each other, creating increased communication and a more productive work environment.
• Increased process improvements across companies resulted in stronger communications and higher productivity.
• A concrete plant implemented a plan to measure the amount of air entrained within their concrete mix so as not to have their concrete rejected on the job. Through strategies of consistent measurement, feedback and ongoing evaluation, within two months they were at zero loads rejected.
• An equipment department focused on the behaviors involved in doing a quality inspection and through tracking, charting, and giving feedback to individual mechanics, the department successfully reduced the number of defects from 30 to 5 within one year.