Matter of view

Don’t forget that you are always creating the big picture, but also a lot of small pictures…

During seasonal tire change in the spring, a fleet of more than 500 company vehicles is being serviced.

The service is being done with an accent on efficiency, so that organisation does not lose much time during the process. The key requirements for staff is to maintain high level of efficiency with an accent on vehicle safety, tire state checking, proper installation and the highest standards of safety at work.

During that process, one of the managers called back a day after the operation on his vehicle was finished, with the information that he had heard loud impacts from his front left wheel and that he would not drive it that day because he felt unsafe. The vehicle was checked immediately after the complaint, diagnosed with the problem of bolts not being tied well and the wheel loosened while vehicle was on the road. The problem was resolved immediately by tightening on sight. It was no damage to the car or to the safety of the driver.

But what are the implications on this kind of information to the rest of the organisation?

Safety manager thought: “Tendentious maybe, I will look into who tried to jeopardize our management.”

General manager thought: “This service is inefficient if we are having these kinds of problems. Should we all be afraid?”

Maintenance manager thought: “Our KPI is adequate to expectations. We have 99,76% success in this process.”

Fleet manager thought: “What a conscientious driver! He heard the noise and acted accordingly to the traffic safety policy. He avoided a larger incident by stopping and asking for assistance. He also avoided larger expenses if the wheel went off.”.

The mechanic thought: “It’s not me. It’s that conceited old dog. I have a clean sheet. It never happened on my watch.”.

And the truth? It is somewhere in between. Or even a combination of all of the above. Impression on a team, a sector, or even a complete process by the rest of the organization, is often based on statistical error. Individual cases in maintenance are always put in the forefront.