The Implications of TWI on Today’s Markets
It’s clear that Training Within Industry has had a huge impact on the way the manufacturing industry matured, and we will likely keep seeing those effects for a long time to come. And yet, in some cases it can be a bit tricky to pinpoint exactly what has changed as a result of TWI, and what we’ve learned about the way we should be structuring our working processes.
The truth is, TWI has actually had a much more profound impact than most people think, and the results are all around us. As companies learned to take up a leaner approach to the way they train their workers, these best practices made their way into the standard training processes of many companies.
It’s a world of experimentation
One of the most notable aspects of today’s market is the fact that businesses are much more open to experimentation and embracing failure. This is an important point to consider, as it’s becoming more and more clear that the lack of experimentation has been holding companies back significantly in the past.
Thanks to TWI, a company can ensure that it always has a constant flow of workers ready to take on the tasks associated with any level of its production. This means that different components of a manufacturing chain can be added and removed more easily, and the company is able to make decisions in a more independent way. It makes the company agile, which gives them a competitive advantage.
Getting appropriate worker feedback
Another important part of TWI is that it encourages workers to share their opinions about the way the company’s current structure works, and to relay their experiences with their specific tasks. While worker feedback is present in pretty much every organization, TWI treats it with particular importance, and not easily ignored.
The final result is that companies are able to develop production plans that much more closely match the expertise and working preferences of their employees. On the other hand, the standardized nature of the process for developing those plans means that they can be easily replicated and expanded to other parts of the organization.
Where is this all leading to?
It’s hard to predict exactly how TWI is going to impact companies in the near future.
This is becoming especially true today, when we have access to various tools that accelerate the production process. Harnessing the true potential of TWI is something every business owner should look into. It’s no wonder that many of the larger companies on the global market are paying more and more attention to the philosophy.
One of the aspects of TWI that is becoming particularly pronounced is the way that lower-level workers are able to shape the production process on a larger scale. TWI has taught us the importance of getting proper feedback from employees at all levels and treating it correctly, especially in an organization that sees rapid changes in its working process.
An efficient conflict resolution tool
Conflicts often arise in a complex organization, especially when worker feedback is being used to drive the process forward and improve it. TWI can help resolve those conflicts relatively easily, as it emphasizes a quick approach to the removal of any obstacles.
What this means in the specific case of a conflict is that TWI encourages the organization to take the approach that resolves the problem in the smallest possible number of steps. This is aligned with the general idea behind lean methodologies, and even though it may sometimes lead to valuable feedback being pushed back slightly, it ultimately helps the organization evolve.
Conclusion
We’re seeing some serious effects of TWI on the modern markets, and it’s very likely that those effects are going to become stronger as the concepts regain popularity.
Empowering workers to drive the process forward, as it turns out, can have a strong positive impact on the operations of a company. Learning to trim the fat from the constant stream of feedback is one of the most important skills associated with TWI.
What are your experiences with TWI?
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