For the changes that have taken place in businesses over the last many years, a valuable resource seems to have been forgotten, Industrial Engineering (I.E.). Today's popular concept of Lean seen as Lean Manufacturing, Lean Management, Lean Enterprise, and Lean Principles is widely used because of its effectiveness in eliminating waste and its positive impact to a company's productivity. A little know fact to many, is that the Lean approach is heavily based on Industrial Engineering principles. If Lean is a great thing then perhaps Industrial Engineering has something to offer as well.

I.E. offers a wide range of skills permitting the understanding of an entire operation and the relationships of the different groups in that operation. For this reason, I personally had been approached for the position of General Manager at the specific request of a company for an I.E.. Specific skills of I.E. are used in Lean, and other skills of I.E. support Lean within the different departments and functions in an operation. It's a great one-two combination which is not commonly known.

Lean eliminates waste and promotes efficiency; I.E. does the same and goes one step further to scientifically look at the waste and determine the impact of removing it. The old idiom “Throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” is apropos. An informed look at changes to systems, methods and product costs can be eye-opening.

I.E. has historically been charged with the responsibility of being the bridge between Finance and Production/Manufacturing, where the costs of a product are generated. This is for a reason; that I.E. once again, has the skills to understand where the financial figures originate in terms of processes, materials, production, machinery, and infrastructure systems. In fact it is I.E. that studies all these aspects of an operation to determine the inputs to calculated costs; a great companion to Finance. It is called scientific management which has been around for a hundred years.

For small and big businesses, missed opportunities often show a cumulative behavior. I have seen missed opportunities range in the scale of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Without an I.E. using the skills of scientific methods in an operation, you are left to wonder what is really happening and what is not. People are busy with the mandates of their function and their specific goals to meet; who is looking at how it all comes together? The I.E. if there is one, or often no-one if your enterprise has forgotten I.E.

These skills are not isolated to manufacturing companies but are applied just as effectively to service providing companies and any enterprise which adds value to a product or service through activities.

Remember Industrial Engineering and keep your eye on the ball to manage opportunities and maximize profits.

A poorly designed position offers little chance of delegation as the individual is usually lacking the information they need themselves to perform their job; these people will find it difficult to delegate as they cannot pass on what is necessary when they don't have it themselves.

Some workplaces do not work to systems and get by on dysfunctional work design which makes delegation difficult.

Workplaces that don't work to clear goals make it difficult to pass on goals through delegation. The best that can be achieved in these instances is task oriented duties given to staff which falls sadly short of high performance work from effective delegation.

Communicating goals or criteria becomes difficult when a systems framework for the workplace does not exist. For those Managers and Supervisors who show initiative in trying to explain these in delegating, often face the peril of being reprimanded through rationalized feedback as a substitute for well developed plans and SMART goals

Often times the authority given through delegation is the start of a chain reaction of problems for the absence of clear responsibilities throughout the workplace and business. In these cases turf wars easily start where staff becomes afraid of taking delegated work.

When departmental plans and goals are poorly developed and communicated a Manager or Supervisor has little choice but to stick their neck out in giving advice in delegating, with little chance of recognition for their initiative. In these instances the good ideas in the advice offered is often stolen by those wallowing in the confusion of the workplace.

Focusing on results without consideration of the process fosters norms which create dysfunctional work habits. One desperate act after another in compensating for missing workplace systems only strays a business further from the desired sustainable business.

Some of the worst workplaces have come to be from neglect of sound skills development and practices which are substituted with compromised attempts at effective work. It is the like the dog chasing his own tail; so much energy, resource and opportunity is wasted.

Effective delegation is an integral part of a high performing work system but there are times when delegation doesn't have a chance.

Distribution of a meeting agenda prior to the meeting gives people a chance to prepare for the upcoming meeting. Some of the worst meeting results come from those meetings where attendees don't know what the meeting is about. By providing a copy of the agenda beforehand people can prepare for topics to be covered in the meeting. While in the meeting it is helpful to provide a hard copy of the agenda or display it visually for all to see. This allows the Chair of the meeting to move through topics while showing attendees the progress of the meeting.

Time Limit

It is important to set a time limit for the meeting. This should be noted on the agenda which is distributed prior to the meeting. One of the main reasons that meetings are unpopular is because they run for so long, and often with little being accomplished. For example, a thirty minute meeting will have its time divided across the topics on the agenda, with more time given to topics which require it. As the Chair of the meeting, it is up to you to decide the time limit and allocation of time to topics on the agenda. This allows all attendees to know beforehand how much time will be spent on each topic. It is important to stay to the time schedule of the meeting.

Staying on Track

Keeping the meeting on topic is not always easy and for this reason many meetings will stray from the meeting's objective. It is the responsibility of the meeting Chair to keep the meeting on track. A good start to accomplishing this is the distribution of the agenda beforehand. Most office meeting rooms will have a clock on the wall. If a clock is not available use your wristwatch which should be place in front of you on the meeting table.

As the meeting moves from one topic to the next it is helpful to specifically introduce the purpose of the next topic. This creates focus in communication and avoids non value added discussions. If more time is required for a topic, it should be noted and recorded in the minutes or follow up items for relevant parties to meet outside the meeting on the topic. Facilitating discussions is helpful to keep personalities in check and keeping the meeting on track and on schedule.

Meeting Follow Up/Next Steps

This is as important as the agenda as it sets the stage for the next meeting. Specific action items should be recorded with assigned names to them. If a topic on the agenda runs over its allotted time, it should be recorded in the Next Steps minutes for the relevant people to meet on their own to continue discussion of the topic. Any action item in the minutes should also have a deadline which is often the date of the next meeting. The date of the next meeting may not be decided yet in which case the minutes will say that the next meeting will be announced.

Effective meetings can be a worthwhile forum for needed communication and action.

Be Prepared

Do your homework on the company and spend some time soul searching yourself. Try to find information about the company`s current strategies in the industry. What phase are they currently in? Are they in a growth phase, a hold phase or are they downsizing? What is their market position which should give an indication of their current strategy. Think about yourself and how you will present yourself to the interviewer. How will you describe yourself? What examples will you give about yourself and your background? How do you think the interviewer will receive this description of yourself? A part of preparing yourself is looking at the interview through the eyes of the other person. Get a good feel for the impression people have of your profession.

Resume

Bring at least two copies of your resume with you, one for the interviewer and one for yourself. If you are able to find out beforehand who else will be in the interview, or if you will be meeting other people, be sure to bring enough copies of your resume. The style of resume is up to you, remembering what is consistent with your profession and the industry. As you enter the interview room one of the first things you should do, after introductions, is provide your interviewer with a copy of your resume.

Attire

Dress according to your profession and according to the company's industry. As you can imagine, someone applying for a design position in a fashion company will dress differently than someone applying for a logistics management position.

Talking About Yourself

Be clear as to how you will talk about yourself. Give good thought to your strengths, which is one of the most common questions in a job interview and be wise in talking about your weaknesses. Everyone has weaknesses, but to spend 10 minutes talking about them will likely leave the interviewer with the impression that you have a lot of shortcomings despite your honesty about it. Remember the impression people have of your profession and keep in line with it in talking about yourself, if it is to your advantage. If you think it is an inaccurate impression, make sure to show this to the interviewer with what you say and do.

Asking Questions

Many interviewers will ask you if you have any questions. It will be up to you to gauge if the interviewer is sincerely interested to hear your questions or just being thorough in their interview technique. You can mention the information you have learned about the company in leading to your questions, "I see that your company is planning to bring new products to the market and you hope it will make ABC company the market leader." I'm wondering if this growth will create opportunities for me to move within the company? Don't ask questions to get information that you should have found in your preparation about the company. You should ask questions about things that are important to you to know. If professional development is important to you then ask about it. If traveling is something you are looking for then ask about it. Good questions would be about the company`s work style and their approach to getting things done, or asking about coworker`s credentials and backgrounds. You would want to ask about your manager and long term expectations toward you.

Answering Questions

Keep in mind that the interviewer is creating an impression of you, so you want to make sure you describe yourself appropriately when answering questions. If your going to stray from the truth, it is you who will reap the consequences. You want to show that you are knowledgeable of your field of work but you don't want to come across bold. It is helpful to already know the workplace style of the company so you can show that aspect of yourself if it is possible, and does not require you to compromise yourself too much. Talk more about those things which are important to the company and give the many examples you have prepared about your background, experience and personal situations.

Things To Get From The Interview

Interviews are not always formatted question and answer sessions. Often the interview can take a casual turn where both people will talk of themselves or give examples or tell stories of various topics of interest to the interview. Regardless of your interview format, try to satisfy yourself on certain things like why they are hiring for the position, and what happened to the last person who had that job. Find out if you can speak to someone who had the position previously or people who worked with the last person in the position. You may want to know if they offer any type of orientation when you start the position or if any type of new hire training is provided. If you can get a walk through the office or facility it will help you form an impression of the place.

Talking Money

It is advisable to not bring up the topic of money unless the interviewer brings it up first. Instead talk of personal and professional rewards you hope to get from the position and the company. If the interviewer asks your expectations about money, answer them considering what you know about the company and the position within that industry.

Finishing The Interview

Always finish on a positive note. You can either talk about your good impression of the company or the position or talk about how you are interested in it. Use positive language when talking, assuming you are interested in the position. If you are not interested in the position you may consider explaining this to the interviewer very diplomatically. In my own experience of this, the interviewer was glad to hear it and both of us left the interview with no false expectations of what would happen next.

I would not suggest going for close for the position, unless perhaps you are interviewing for a sales position, in which case you are probably meeting the interviewer's expectation of you. If the interviewer does not explain what will happen next in the interview process, offer to follow up the interview with a phone call in a few days. Always follow up the interview with a letter to the interviewer thanking them for the opportunity to interview for the position.