Poultry processing plant management teams must have the right structure in place if they are to ensure that the plant runs properly, markets are optimally served and that the business will survive in the long-term.
Arrogance, bureaucracy and complacency are the enemies of all companies, and their emergence can result in a business’ steady decline. Unfortunately, their symptoms can often be seen in the processing plants that ought be working to satisfy the growing demand for poultry meat, rather than celebrating how much has already been achieved.
Arrogance can occur in any company, big or small, and might be characterized by a belief that everything is running smoothly, that the right procedures are in place or that all the right checks are being made, no matter how infrequent.
When companies fall into the bureaucracy trap, managers dedicate their time to results, budgets, organigrams and policies, for example, forgetting the importance of winning the trust and respect of the workforce – the real resource for company success.
Studies have shown that, rather than concentrating on hard management, managers need to be on the plant floor, observing where processes might be going wrong and interacting with workers to discover their concerns and to find solutions. This aspect of management can not only lead to solving problems as they arise but may even lead to new business ideas.
Lastly comes complacency, where a company becomes satisfied by what it has achieved, rather than looking to the new challenges ahead.
Should companies fall into any of the above-mentioned traps, they will die, but following the right business approach can prevent this. A more successful approach would be to follow the Simple, Compact and Dynamically Exponential model.
Keep things simple
According to Jack Trout, marketing strategist and author of The Power of Simplicity: A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense & Doing Things Right, what is often difficult in life is to do things simply.
Daily management must be timely, as speed can make all the difference in business. Excuses, putting off decisions, over-analysis and the belief that complicated and costly solutions are the best need to be relegated to the past.
Speed and simplicity offer huge advantages, and they can be more easily achieved by recognizing which activities waste time and which create lasting value.
Companies need to offer disruptive products and services that anticipate market needs; this will keep consumers curious, and have competitors wondering why they had not thought of doing the same.
Compact working
A culture of optimization needs to be fostered, with all employees conscious of the company’s objectives.
A way to help achieve this is through the formation of Trusted Elite Groups, which are supported by Security Circles made up of those they can draw upon for support. The members of these Trusted Elite Groups direct all of their attention and energy to the market they serve and to new markets they want to enter.
This invaluable human team is supported by a solid structure of people – the Security Circle – with a broad education and who are experts in task completion.
Once this structure has been adopted, new objectives can be reached – it is simply a question of time.
Exponential Dynamics
The above-mentioned Trusted Elite Teams are entrepreneurial units that must direct their attention both internally and externally to keep the business moving and growing.
Internally, they need to look at microdetails. This might be, for example, to improve carcass yield or reduce quality issues. Similarly, they may thoroughly examine expenditure with the aim of finding simple and practical cost-savings that can easily be put into place.
Taking this approach can result in a greater volume of Grade A meat being produced at a lower cost. With more profitable production, the company’s market position is strengthened.
Looking externally, they may, for example, use artificial intelligence as a tool to learn more about both current and future clients. When buying behavior can be monitored in real time, we gain a deeper understanding of the products that people want, the quantities that they want, the frequency with which they purchase and who our customers really are. Products can be developed that are similar, or complementary, to what customers are currently purchasing.
The creation of the right management culture can result in an environment that leads to a constant flow of new products, services and business opportunities, helping to ensure long-term survival.
Soft management ideas could strengthen poultry processors
