Sociodynamics Approach for Manufacturing Transformation Strategy

Any Manufacturing Strategy should include several areas to transform for reaching a Manufacturing Excellence Performance. Transformation is a never-ending process, aiming at optimizing several aspects of an operation like Quality, Costs or Safety among others.

Usually, we tend to think that those aspects can be outperformed by having the best technology and internal processes. However, the most critical factor that determines performance is people engagement and interactions within a Manufacturing Social Environment (MSE).

The purpose of this article is to provide the basic elements of sociodynamics to implement the right MSE to build a successful and lasting Manufacturing Transformation Strategy. 

What is sociodynamics about?

Social dynamics (or sociodynamics) is the study of the behavior of groups and the interactions of individual group members, as well as the study of the relationship between individual interactions and group-level behaviors. They are aiming to understand the emergence of complex social behaviors.

Furthermore, sociodynamics focuses on individual behavior and examines the importance of the heterogeneity of each interacting individual. 

How does sociodynamics impact individual and group performance?

Active interaction affects individual behavior in the inter-feedback process of learning from each other. In addition, sociodynamics formulates that individuals become a source of increasing aggregative knowledge for different individuals.

Consequently, a series of interactions in social dynamics creates cumulative knowledge that ultimately drives performance. 

"The most critical factor that determines performance is people engagement and interactions within a Manufacturing Social Environment(MSE)."

How a Sociodynamics Strategy Helps You to Transform Manufacturing Performance.

Sociodynamics is based on 3 Pillars:

Critical Mass 

In social dynamics, critical mass is a sufficient number of adopters of a new idea, innovation or way of working in a social system so that the rate of adoption becomes self-sustaining and creates further growth.

Credibility

Apart from the quantitative notion of a “sufficient number,” critical mass is also influenced by qualitative properties such as reputation, interests, commitments, and decisions, all of which are crucial in determining whether reciprocal behavior can be started to achieve sustainability to a commitment such as transformation towards new technology for instance. Team Leaders’ credibility becomes critical to this.

Communication and Mobilization

A comprehensive Communication and Mobilization plan must include Vision, visual management, animation meetings, etc. aiming at modifying individual behaviors in pursuit of critical mass development. 

How to design and implement a Sociodynamics Strategy 

There are 2 main Phases:

Phase 1 includes Sociodynamics Diagnosis and Strategy development, being the output of a High-Level Roadmap.

In the Diagnosis step people are classified and clustered in accordance with their potential behavior toward the transformation (Allies, adopters, followers, detractors etc.). A Manufacturing Social Environment Mapping (MSEM) is created.

Then a differentiated Sociodynamics Strategy for each cluster is developed to obtain a critical mass that allows to accelerate the Transformation Process. This Strategy should consider concepts like Vision, Irritants and Enablers, for each cluster and the design of specific projects to reduce irritants and leverage on enablers. At this stage, specific KPIs are created to monitor evolution.

Finally, a Transformation Road Map is delivered including a set of Irritants and related projects to mitigate or eliminate them, to create the conditions for engaging in the transformation. 

When entering Phase 2, a series of Transformation Waves are triggered (project implementation), and at the end of each one, the result must be re-evaluated.

This transformation roadmap must be integrated with Technological transformations and internal processes through the series of projects in each wave.

Manufacturing Social Environment transformation requires the establishment of a Steering Committee to closely monitor the evolution and in-depth training for all Manufacturing Management.

Overall, the implementation of sociodynamics to get the proper Manufacturing Social Environment can accelerate the adoption of any Manufacturing Strategy, minimizing social risks and setbacks, increasing leadership credibility, and driving a self-sustainable transformation process.