Convenience

Chapter 14:
Basic Elements of Control
4 5 5
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C H A P T E R
15
Managing Operations,
Quality, and Productivity
Learning Outcomes
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
1
Describe and explain the nature of operations management.
2
Identify and discuss the components involved in designing effective operations systems.
3
Discuss organizational technologies and their role in operations management.
4
Identify and discuss the components involved in implementing operations systems through supply
chain management.
5
Explain the meaning and importance of managing quality and total quality management.
6
Explain the meaning and importance of managing productivity, productivity trends, and ways to improve
productivity.
Management in Action
Orchestrating Outcomes
“[T]hey feel empowered. They don’t have anyone telling them what to do. They
walk into the rehearsal hall and it’s their opportunity to influence [and] shape
music.”
—Executive Director Graham Parker on the musicians of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Reviewing a recent concert by the Orpheus
Chamber Orchestra,
New York Times
music critic Vivien Schweitzer wrote that
the orchestra played Robert Schumann’s
Symphony No. 2 “with remarkable co-
ordination”; the “balance among strings,
winds, and brass,” she added, “was impres-
sively well proportioned.”
Was Schweitzer, as we sometimes say,
damning
with
faint
praise?
Isn’t
a
symphony
, which means “harmony of
sounds,”
supposed
to be played with
remarkable
coordination?
Aren’t
the
various sections of the orchestra
supposed
to be well balanced? Had the conductor,
whose job is to ensure a consummate
performance of the music, achieved little
more
than
coordination
and
balance?
Sergii Tsololo/Photos.com
Hiroyuki
Ito/Hulton
A
rchive/Getty
Im
ages
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is unique in that it performs without
a conductor. By working as a team without a leader, the orchestra
builds motivation and satisfaction among its musicians.
4 5 6
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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
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Actually, New York–based Orpheus doesn’t play with a conductor, and Schweitzer
was remarking on the fact the orchestra had “bravely—and successfully—
attempted” such a complex work without the artistic and managerial leadership
of someone who directs rehearsals and stands at a podium waving an
authoritative baton.
“For us at Orpheus,” explains executive director Graham Parker, “it’s the
way
we make the music that’s the difference.” Orpheus holds to the principle that its
product—the music performed for audiences—is of the highest quality when its
workers—the musicians—are highly satisfied with their jobs. All professional
orchestra musicians, of course, are highly trained and skilled, but make no
mistake about it: A lot of them are not very happy workers. J. Richard Hackman,
an organizational psychologist at Harvard, surveyed workers in 13 different
occupational categories, including orchestra players, to determine relative levels
of job motivation and satisfaction. On the one hand, musicians ranked at the top
in motivation, “fueled by their own pride and professionalism,” according to
Hackman. But when it came to general satisfaction with their jobs, orchestra
players ranked seventh (just below federal prison guards and slightly above beer
sales and delivery teams). On the question of satisfaction with growth
opportunities, they ranked ninth (again, below prison guards, though a little
higher than operating-room nurses and hockey players).
It’s this disconnect between motivation and satisfaction—and between
motivation and product quality—that Orpheus was conceived to rectify, and the
first principle in what’s now known as the “Orpheus Process” is “Put power in
the hands of the people doing the work.” According to Harvey Seifter, a
consultant specializing in relationships between business and the arts, the
Orpheus Process consists of five elements designed to put this principle into
practice:
1.
Choosing Leaders
. For each piece of music that the orchestra decides to
perform, members select a leadership team composed of five to seven musi-
cians. This “core team” then leads rehearsals and serves as a conduit for
members’ input. It’s also responsible for seeing that the final performance
reflects “a unified vision.”
2.
Developing Strategies
. Prior to rehearsals, the core team decides how a
piece of music will be played. Its ultimate goal is to ensure “an overall
interpretive approach to the music,” and it works to meet this goal by
trying out various approaches to the music during rehearsals with the full
orchestra.
3.
Developing the Product
. Once an interpretive approach has been chosen,
rehearsals are geared toward refining it. At this point, players make
suggestions and critique the playing of their colleagues. It is, of course,
a highly collaborative stage in the process, and its success depends on
mutual respect. “We’re all specialists—that’s the beginning of the discus-
sion,” says violinist Martha Caplin. “When I talk to … another musician in
the group, it’s on an equal level. It’s absolutely crucial that we have that
attitude.” When disagreements arise, everyone works toward a consensus,
and if a consensus can’t be reached, the issue is settled by a vote. Violinist
Eriko Sato also emphasizes that the process of collaborative input works
best when members focus their contributions on outcomes of the highest
possible quality: “Fundamentally,” she says, “I don’t think everybody’s