BACKGROUND

CONNIFER CORP

About Organization
Sawmill operations in Oregon
Built 30 years ago
1 General
Manager 16 Supervisors
Support Staff 180 unionized
employees 6 Departments

Receives raw logs from area Boom

for cutting and planning into Sawmill
building-range lumber Packaging

60% of the products are Planning

higher-grade logs in finished Shipping
form and sent directly to
packaging department. Maintenance
40% of the products are
lower-grade logs, requiring
further work from planning
department.
SYMPTOMS

1 The mill’s ratings have started to decline over the past year or two, and several clients
have complained about the appearance of the finished product and the substandard
appearance of Conifer’s packaging when it arrived in their lumber yard.
Each department, except for packaging, has a supervisor on every work shift. The planer

2 supervisor is responsible for the packaging department on the morning shift, and the sawmill
supervisor is responsible for the packaging department on the afternoon shift. Because of
packaging operation is housed in a separate building from the other departments, so supervisors
seldom visit the packaging department and it giving an effect that packing Dept uncontrollable

3 Productivity of the packaging department has recorded decreasing over the past couple of years.

People in the packaging department tend to extend lunch by 10 minutes and coffee breaks by
4 5 minutes. They also typically leave work a few minutes before the end of their shift.
MAIN CAUSE OF SYPTOMS
Problem :
1. Lack of supervision and task-interdependence
Each department, except for packaging, has a supervisor on every work shift. The planer supervisor is responsible for the
packaging department on the morning shift, and the sawmill supervisor is responsible for the packaging department on
the afternoon shift. However, the packaging operation is housed in a separate building from the other departments, so
supervisors seldom visit the packaging department. This is particularly true for the afternoon shift, because the sawmill
supervisor is the furthest distance from the packaging building.

2. Management failed to gain awareness about self-directed team

Employees who are temporarily assigned to the packaging department also seem to participate in this time loss pattern
after a few days. Al- though they are punctual and productive in other departments, these temporary employees soon
adopt the packaging crew’s informal schedule when assigned to that department.

3. Poor-disciplinary on Packaging Dept

People in the packaging department tend to extend lunch by 10 minutes and coffee breaks by 5 minutes. They also
typically leave work a few minutes before the end of their shift. This abuse has worsened recently, particularly on the
afternoon shift.
ACTION
1. Assign or hire Supervisor for Packaging Dept to supervise the packaging team and help them focused on their job and
reduced unproductive practices, with existence the supervisor, it will make the employees are easy to communicated
with the work plans, polices/procedures and rules of the department. Effective supervision would help to improve
workforce capacity, competence and morale
2. Offer incentives (cash reward monthly) for Packaging Dept team to encourage them to give their best effort and to be
better at the job.
3. Conifer Corp can recruit more employees and proper adequate training in packaging department, as work is increased
management need to recruit and deploy trained staff in packaging department to handle the increased work load.
4. Create and establish a goal setting program, and this will help to motivate employees and help them to stay on track
and for them to have a better evaluation of themselves.
5. Set new rules to limit the overtime employees want to use and punishment for undisciplined employee.