Issue link: https://industrialmanagement.epubxp.com/i/513969
may/june 2015 27 Toyota also uses a system to test individuals for their abilities to work in a team. A group of candidates is placed in a meeting room and assigned a problem to solve. Toyota likes to hire the candidates who demonstrate the ability to function well in a team and devise a solution by working with others. Organizations should use behavior- based tests and real assessments as part of any recruitment strategy. And this is where the application of industrial and organization psychology comes in. In the book Social Psychology and Human Nature , authors Roy F. Baumeister and Brad J. Bushman reported that most companies use informal and unstructured behavioral interview questions like the following: • What are your weaknesses? • Why should we hire you? • Why do you want to work here? • What are your goals? • Why are you leaving your job? • When were you most satisfied in your job? • What can you do for us that other candidates can't? • What are three positive things your last boss can say about you? • What salary are you seeking? According to many psychologists and researchers, such traditional questions don't serve a company's real needs. Improving the hiring process to help generate a culture of change would involve using relative, reasonable and structured behavior questions such as these: • Tell me in specific detail about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer. • Give me an example of a time when you had to make a decision without a supervisor present. • Give me a specific example when you demonstrated an initiative in an employment setting. • Give me an example of a time when you had to work in a team. The more often employees practice these new improvement behaviors, the more likely they will become routine. • Describe a time when you had to be creative at solving a problem. Such questions tend to assess leadership and problem-solving skills, which is what most companies really need anyway. Embedding improvement into the day Often, employees don't focus on improvement because of the lack of "north goals" and the improper alignment of departmental goals with the organization's strategies and vision. In the Toyota vision, "north goals" refer to the long-term vision, such as being the best automotive maker in the world or holding more than 50 percent of the market share. In Toyota Kata , Rother calls the process of setting targets and striving toward them in Toyota the "improvement kata," and management focuses each day on coaching employees on how to reach those targets – targets that are aligned with the company's long-term vision. A kata is a series of practice moves to build on form and technique. For our leaders, we want them to be able to do two things: Systematically improve processes toward a clear target (improvement kata) and coach others on the improvement kata (coaching kata). Improvement kata really describes the Toyota habits for continuous improvement. Toyota uses its improvement kata to make a way of managing and working that we normally reserve for crisis situations. And the more often employees practice these new improvement behaviors, the more likely they will become routine. Concrete, stretch goals, aligned with organizational strategies, are the key to making improvement a priority. Stretch goals break down strategic goals into easy to understand bites that workers can digest and are a main way to cascade organizational values down from above to the front lines. For example, it means nothing to tell your employees that the goal is to be the leading supplier in the industry. But breaking that aim down into stretch goals yields metrics, such as "50 percent reduction in defects per year," or "20 percent productivity gain each year," that can measure results. By repeating the continuous improvement cycle and using smaller stretch goals, organizations can achieve their long-term vision. Departmental goals should be aligned with the company's strategic objectives, or the employees will wonder why they are bothering to improve the system. People tend to make progress on things they believe in. It is a part of any motivation program. People should believe in the power of the system and that they are working to make their job and life easier and safer. The company's success is their success. This is where the intrinsic motivation comes from. If goals are not specified, people won't improve because they will think everything is fine. But if the company has clear strategic goals, goals that are broken down into achievable metrics, employees will generate ideas and explain how their ideas are aligned with these goals. The system itself will drive the motivation and creativity of everyone. There will be no more need for financial motives that undermine performance and kill motivation. A system that trains super- visors and engineers to listen to the workers' problems and allows infor- mation can be exceptionally motiva- tional. When psychology gets in the way Think of your vision in business terms – such as No. 1 market share, zero warranty cost and 100 percent account- ability. Break those down into stretch goals for your employees and depart- ments to use. Make sure these stretch goals are concrete and aligned with your strategic business objectives by aligning them with the value you provide to your customers. Goals can't be things like standard- izing the work process, which simply opens up the workforce's psychology to