80 - Training Within Industry

Good morning!

We're right at the end of summer.  Cooler temperatures and changing leaves are nice, but we're still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

That keeps us from really enjoying our lives to the full.  My hope is that you'll get a chance to enjoy the outdoors with a nice walk on a forest trail somewhere near your home.  I also hope that you'll be isolated enough to walk mask free, even if just for a couple of hours.

For now, let me talk about work for a minute, specifically about your relationships with your immediate leader, your team of peers, and the team you lead.

The National Defense Advisory Committee established the Training Within Industry Program in August of 1940 - Before the US even got into World War II.  It's original policy states "Management is interested primarily in getting out increased and improved production.  Supervision and training are sometimes regarded as separate functions, but they are actually concurrent with management.  TWI attempts to get this viewpoint accepted and TWO work deals exclusively with what management itself can do to train its supervisors."

Most people who are familiar with Training Within Industry, or TWI, know it primarily as a set of techniques to help people gain proficiency in a particular job in a relatively short period of time.  So, it's an effective teaching tool.

What most people miss, though, is how the program was designed primarily to train and to develop supervisors. Ideally, the first line supervisor is the trainer for his or her team.  You can't effectively train someone unless you have some trust.  TWI includes a Job Relations component as well as a Job Instruction component and they recommend working through Job Relations first.

Even in the 40's, in the midst of a global war, we realized that productivity of individuals is largely a result of their relationship with their leaders.  Let's not forget that today.

How can you build more trust as a leader, as a team member, and with your leader today?

Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow.