Atlantic Store Furniture (ASF) is a manufacturing operation in Moncton, New Brunswick. The company, located in an industrial park, employs about 25 people, with annual sales of about $2 million. Modern shelving systems are the main product, and these units are distributed throughout the Maritimes. Metal library shelving, display cases, acoustical screens, and work benches are a few of the products available at ASF. The products are classified by two distinct manufacturing procedures, which form separate sections of the plant.
THE METALWORKING OPERATION
In the metalworking part of the plant, sheet metal is cut and formed into shelving for assembly. The procedure is quite simple and organized in an assembly-line method. Six or eight stations are used to cut the metal to the appropriate length, drill press, shape, spotweld, and paint the final ready-to-assemble product. The equipment used in the operation is both modern and costly, but the technology is quite simple.
The metalworking operation employs on average about 8 or 10 workers, located along the line of assembly. The men range in age between 22 and 54 and are typically French-Canadians. Most have high school education or have graduated from a technical program. The men as metalworkers are united by their common identity in the plant and have formed two or three subgroups based on common interests. One group, for example, comprising the foreman and three other workers, has season tickets to the New Brunswick Hawks home games. Another group bowls together in the winter and attends horse races in the summer months.
The foreman's group is the most influential among the workers. The men in this group joined the company at the same time, and James Savoie, the foreman, was once a worker with the three other men in the group. The group characteristically gets to the lunch counter first, sits together in the most comfortable chairs, and punches the time clock first on the way out of work. Conrad LeBlanc, another group member, has a brother who plays professional hockey in the NHL and he frequently describes the success of the team and his brother's large home.
The metalworkers as a group operate on one side of the plant and work at a very steady pace. The demand for the products in this section is high and the production is usually constant. The group adjusts well to changes in the order requests and the occasional overtime pressures. The salespeople on the road provide a constant flow of orders, to the point where there is a small backlog of requisitions to be filled. The products vary in size and style but for the most part they are standardized items. A small amount of work is performed on a customized basis.
WOODWORKING OPERATIONS
The woodworking operation differs considerably from the metalworking operation. It is a new addition to the plant and has had some success. It is separated from the metal production unit by a wide sliding door.
The organization of the wood shop is haphazard, because the majority of its work is customized. Some areas are organized to produce standard products like screening, but the majority of the woodworking section is organized around a particular project. Typically, tools, equipment, and supplies are left in the area of the partially completed projects. Custom cabinets and display cases are made for large department and retail stores. A small line of products is produced as a regular line while the rest of the products are custom designed. The flow of work is basically steady in the shop, but there are stages when the work orders become intermittent. Though the appearance of the woodworking shop is quite disorganized and messy, reflecting the nature of the operations, the workers in this section of the plant see themselves as real craftsmen and take considerable pride in their work. Typically, two or three projects are in progress simultaneously along with the normal run of standard products. The metalworkers store some of their completed units in the woodworking area, to the dislike of the woodworkers and to the disorganization of the section.
Unlike the metalworkers there is a distinct hierarchy among the woodworkers based on seniority and ability. Sam Kirby is the quick-tempered but fiercely loyal foreman; most of the full-time woodworkers have come through apprenticeship programs or have similar backgrounds to the metalworkers'. Most are middle-aged Brittish-Canadians and, beyond an occasional after-work beer at the local tavern, they do not spend time together. Through Kirby's persistence, an apprenticeship program within the company has produced a number of good carpenters. This section of the company, though still relatively young, has produced good work and has a reputation for quality craftsmanship.
The morning coffee break for the woodworkers follows that of the metalworkers. Lunch hour is staggered by 20 minutes as well. Only a minimal amount of interaction occurs between the woodworkers and metalworkers, as there tends to be rivalry and competition between the two groups.
RECENT EVENTS
The supervisor who oversees these two sections of the plant (plant manager) is Ralph Jamieson, a production engineer from a local university. As plant manager he reports to the vice president. At the time of his hiring, ASF had not developed the woodworking section of the plant. Jamieson's work at the university became integrated into the production line when he discovered a method of galvanizing the metal product in final stages of production. He spends a good deal of his time in the metalworking operation, planning and discussing problems in production with the foreman, James Savoie. Laboratory research is another occupation assigned to Jamieson, who enjoys experimenting with new methods and techniques in design and fabrication of metal products. Jamieson and Savoie are good friends and they spend a good deal of time together both on and off the job. James Savoie is quite happy with the way his operation is running. His boisterous, good-humored attitudes have created a very good rapport with his men and absenteeism is minimal.
A recent personnel change that has occurred within ASF is the addition of two new salesmen who are on the road in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Their con-tribution to the company is most notable in the metalwork area. They have placed many orders for the company. The new sales incentive program has motivated these people to produce, and their efforts are being recognized.
Sam Kirby, the woodworking foreman, blew up at Jamieson the other day. Some metalworkers had pushed open the sliding doors with an interest in storing more excess shelving units in the woodworking area, without seeking Kirby's advice or permission. Sam is a hothead sometimes and has become quite annoyed with all the intergroup rivalry between the metalworkers and the woodworkers. Storage space has been a sore point between the groups for the last six months or so, ever since the metalworkers became very busy. Jamieson and Howard Wyles, the vice president, were asked to settle the problem between the two shops and decided that the metalworkers were only to enter the woodworking shop if absolutely necessary and with consent of the foreman.
This last incident really upset the fellows in the woodworking shop. The woodworkers feel intimidated by the metalworkers, who are taking space and inter-rupting their work. They grumble among themselves about the shouting and joking from the French assembly lines next door.
In a later conversation, Kirby and Jamieson smoothed things over somewhat. It was explained to Kirby that it was the metalworkers who were really turning out the firm's work and that they needed the extra space. The area that metalworkers want to use is not re-ally needed by the woodworkers; rather, it is simply an area around the perimeter of the room, by the walls.
Kirby did not like Jamieson's response, knowing full well his commitment to the metalworking operations. With this decision, the metalworkers proceeded to use the area in the woodworking shop and never missed an opportunity to insult or criticize the woodworkers in French. The effect of the situation on the respective groups became quite obvious. The metalworkers became increasingly more jocular and irritating in their interactions with the woodworkers. The woodworkers grew resentful and their work pace slowed.
The infighting continued and became of concern to the president and vice president. For example, the large sliding doors separating the shops were too hastily closed one afternoon on a metalworker who was retreating from a practical joke he was playing on a woodworker. The resulting injury was not serious but it did interrupt a long series of accident-free days the company had been building up. This incident further divided the two groups. Meetings and disciplinary threats by management were not enough to curtail the problems.
The woodworkers were now withdrawing all efforts to communicate. They ate lunch separately and took coffee breaks away from the regular room. Kirby became impatient to complete new products and to acquire new contracts. He urged management to hire personnel and to solicit new business. The work atmosphere changed considerably in the woodworking shop as the workers lost their satisfying work experience. Much of the previous friendly interaction had ceased. Kirby's temper flared more frequently as small incidents seemed to upset him more than before. After-work get-togethers at the tavern were no longer of much appeal to the men.
The metalworkers were feeling quite good about their jobs as the weeks passed. Their orders remained strong as demand continued to grow for their products. The metalworkers complained about the woodworkers and demanded more space for their inventory. The metalworkers were becoming more cohesive and constantly ridiculed the woodworkers. The woodworkers' concern for the job decreased as back orders filled up and talk of expansion developed for the metalwork operation.
Just as the metal shop became more confident, there were more difficulties with the woodworking shop. The woodworkers were completing the final stages of an elaborate cabinet system when information came regarding a shipping delay. The new store for which the product was being built was experiencing problems, causing a two- or three-month delay before it could accept the new cabinet system. Kirby was very disturbed by this news, as his woodworkers needed to see the completion of their project and the beginning of a new one. The predicament was compounded somewhat by the attitude of the metalworkers, who heard of the frustration of the woodworkers and added only more jeers and smart remarks. Morale at this stage was at an all-time low. The chief carpenter, an integral member of the woodworkers, was looking for a new job. One or two of the casual workers were drifting into new work or not showing up for work they had. Contracts and orders for new products were arriving but in fewer numbers, and casual workers had to be laid off. Defective work was beginning to increase, to the embarrassment of the company.
Management was upset with the conditions of the two operations and threatened the foreman. Kirby was disturbed at the situation and was bitter about the deteriorating state of the woodworking shop. Despite many interviews, he was unable to replace the head carpenter, who had left the company attracted by a new job prospect. Efforts to reduce the intergroup conflict were tried but without success.
The president of ASF, William MacDougal, was alarmed with the situation. He recognized some of the problems with the different operations. One operation was active and busy while the other section worked primarily on project work. The organization was designed, he thought, with the normal structure in mind. The men in the company, he thought to himself, were very much of the same background and what little diversity there was should not have accounted for This animosity. As president, he had not developed a culture of competition or pressure in the company.
The disorganization and chaos in the woodworking shop was alarming, and there was very little that could be done about it. Kirby had been discussing the problem with the president, trying to identify some of the alternatives. This had been the third meeting in as many days, and each time the conversation drifted into a discussion about current developments in Jamieson's metalworking pursuits. James Savoie had told the president he felt that there was too much worrying going on "over there"! Plans for expanding the building at ASF were developing at a rapid pace. The president felt that more room might alleviate some of the problems, particularly with respect to inventory, warehousing, and storage.
Kirby became enthusiastic about the prospects of some relief for his side of the operation. He was very much aware of the fact that the performance of his operation was quite low. The president of the company felt satisfied that the woodworking concern was going to improve its performance. One or two new contracts with large department stores inspired an effort to improve the operation.
The men in the woodworking section became somewhat more relaxed. A few positive interactions between the woodworkers and metalworkers became evident. One afternoon about two weeks after the disclosure by the president of the new plant development, Kirby observed blueprints for the new expansion. The plans had been left on Jamieson's desk inadvertently and, to the surprise of Kirby, revealed full details of the expansion for the new building. Kirby sat down and examined the details more carefully and recognized that the wood-working area was not to be included in the expansion plans.
Kirby left the office in a rage and stormed into the president's office to demand an explanation. Kirby shouted that he had changed things around in the woodworking shop on the promise of more room and possibility of expansion. The president shook his head and apologized; he explained Kirby was going to be told nothing could be done. The market demand was simply not that great for wood products. Kirby left the office and went straight to his car and drove off.