Maintenance Technology July 2014 - (Page 8)

UPTIME This column is the second in a multi-part series on leadership in the Help Select Next-Gen Maintenance & Reliability Leaders Bob Williamson Contributing Editor L ast month's Uptime column ("Wanted: Maintenance & Reliability Leaders") defined job roles and presented a draft "Maintenance and Reliability Career Ladder" as a starting point. As noted in that column, we have an opportunity and an obligation to select and develop our future maintenance and reliability (M&R) leaders. Who are they? Where do they come from? How can we get more of them? Do we grow our own? Is it possible to predict those who have the inherent and learned talents to succeed as leaders in these fields? I believe it is. This month's column explores a well-defined and scientific predictive approach for selecting M&R leaders. It can help you identify the right people with the right skills for the right jobs today and tomorrow. Beneﬁts of career ladders How effectively we select the right people to serve- and thrive-as our next-generation M&R leaders will be a fundamental building block in our future business success. Selection begins by defining the various M&R job roles and then developing "career ladders" designed to facilitate growth and development within those roles. The ability to choose individuals who are the 'right ﬁt' for the organization, type of work and M&R team is fundamental to sustainable improvements in equipment. Career ladders provide a defined path for growing skills and knowledge related specifically to the needs of the plant or facility and the interests of the individual. It's a win-win proposition: The enterprise benefits by developing and deploying the right people with the right skills. The individual benefits by mastering higher-level skills and knowledge for higher levels of satisfaction, motivation, recognition and pay in a "pay-for-applied skills" compensation process. 8| MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY Well-defined M&R career ladders lead to improved business performance and employee retention. The "learn-and-earn" aspects of these types of ladders are especially appealing to younger generations. Three elements in selecting leaders The ability to choose individuals who are the "right fit" for the organization, type of work and M&R team is fundamental to sustainable improvements in equipment maintenance and reliability. Selecting maintenance and reliability employees, however, can be a challenging, unreliable process. Apart from objective, well-documented education, experience and certifications, interviews designed to uncover what a candidate might accomplish for an organization are mostly subjective. There is a better way. Selecting the right people for M&R leadership can be more reliable and predictive when three key elements are used: "Effort Fit," "Culture Fit" and "Science Fit." Effort Fit: Job skills and knowledge, certifications and licenses and work history are representative of Effort Fit. By understanding a job candidate's past effort-what he/she has accomplished-decisions can be made regarding the person's ability to fit in with the technical parts of the new job role. Culture Fit: A work culture is defined as the individual and collective behaviors of people on the job. Selecting personnel that will thrive in your organization's work culture is indicative of Culture Fit. This is the most subjective of the three employee selection elements. In addition to setting up plant tours for job candidates, employers often rely on structured interview processes with various members of the M&R work group, observing how the job seeker responds in different discussions and situations. Some businesses also rely on assessment centers and role-playing based on actual job-performance requirements. Science Fit: This is the most powerful predictor of a "right fit" as an M&R leader. Science Fit reflects what a candidate brings to the job as a person, including character, behaviors, interpersonal relationships, attitudes and beliefs. But these characterJULY 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology July 2014

Maintenance Technology July 2014