Walk in My Shoes

In Head Office

They think that the people on the shop floor:

• Can’t see the strategic imperatives
• Don’t understand the business priorities
• Don’t use the newly developed tools
• Aren’t prepared to “own” the running of initiatives
• Don’t respond to training
• Are resistant to change
• Don’t care about performance

On the Shop Floor

They think that the people in Head Office:

• Can’t see the operational realities
• Keep changing the business priorities
• Develop unusable tools
• Aren’t prepared to “own” the delivery of initiatives
• Don’t provide nearly enough training
• Force through unnecessary change
• Don’t care about performance

A question of perspective

Head office and the shop floor are — of course — both right.  The “truth” depends on your point of view.  The only way to understand the disconnect is to go and stand in the other person’s shoes. Once you see somebody else’s perspective then you can find a middle ground and resolve a problem.

Whose shoes?

There are two simple ways to fix the problem:

1. Either the man in head office goes to the shop floor
2. Or the man on the shop floor visits head office

In truth the man in head office has the luxury of time, where as the man on the shop floor is up to his neck in customers (and head office change initiatives).  Option 1 is the only real option.  Or  to put it more bluntly:

If your head office change initiative isn’t working, don’t bitch, go and find out why…

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Image by Dan Taylor