Managing for Daily Improvement: The X-Factor in Employee Engagement

Regardless of your specific approach, MDI aims to improve communication and data flow, especially on the shop floor, identifying problems quicker and growing skillsets.

MANAGING FOR DAILY IMPROVEMENT (MDI) has a rich history. Many in manufacturing know it as daily direction setting (DDS) from P&G’s Integrated Work Systems or as the Floor Management Developmental System (FMDS) from the Toyota Production System. Regardless of its origin, the introduction of an MDI model for transformative success into the food and beverage industry can greatly accelerate manufacturing performance and sustain the results. It inverts the traditional management hierarchy within a plant with new methods and work processes that enable employees to engage deeper and be more successful.

Regardless of which MDI system you choose, they all have a common purpose:

• Enabling communication and data flow at all levels of the production facility with special emphasis on the shop floor.

• Identifying problems quicker and putting solutions into play to solve them.

• Growing peoples’ skillsets and career opportunities.

Because of these, an MDI process provides a backbone or engine that greatly increases total employee engagement in its three most important pillars—empowerment, enablement, and communication. To learn more, see OpX Leadership Network document on Workforce Engagement (pfwgo.to/engage).

To learn more about MDI and how it’s used in real life, FSO Institute spoke with two of its most vocal champions: Doug Herald, co-CEO at Covenance Group Manufacturing, and Dan Sileo, FSO coach, formerly at Sunny Delight.

FSO INSTITUTE: Doug, you’ve used MDI frequently throughout your career for productivity improvements and for improvement in the careers of your work associates. How does MDI work?

DOUG HERALD: One of the greatest difficulties in implementing MDI is overcoming the traditional top-down mindset of management. At the heart of MDI is two-way communication, not one-way command-and-control. MDI is dependent on the deep engagement of employees that strives to capture the ideas, skills, and talent of those on the shop floor who live their manufacturing existence every day. By engaging them and collaborating with