Operational discipline is nothing new to our industry, and it continues to be a key component in achieving operational excellence.
As we define it, operational discipline is "doing the right thing, the right way, every time."
That is a straightforward definition, but things get complicated when you start thinking about what it takes for employees to be adequately equipped, motivated and in agreeance with what that looks like. We say conversationally that if you possess operational discipline behaviors, you know the right thing to do; you are willing to do the right thing every time and ensure others do the right thing.
With four different generations currently working within our industry - baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z - it challenges our perception of operational discipline. Each generation has its strengths and weaknesses. We must learn to identify the strengths and recognize the weaknesses to achieve operational excellence.
Baby boomers, and much of Gen X, were taught to follow orders - "take your job package and change out that pump seal, do not ask questions, just get it done." The expression "that's the way we have always done it" comes to mind when thinking of baby boomers and Gen Xers. Some might see this as weakness, but from an operational discipline perspective, they follow procedures as written. The weakness of baby boomers and Gen Xers is that they don't ask many questions. To some extent, baby boomers and Gen Xers were there as policies and procedures were developed; many of which were put in place because something happened and a change was forced into existence. The expression "learning things the hard way" comes to mind when talking about the early days of procedure and policy development. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were developed and revised based on incidents over many years in our industry. The experience of seeing those incidents occur instilled a perspective of operational discipline in the baby boomer generation, and they shared their experiences and firsthand knowledge with Gen X.
When operational discipline is defined as "doing the right thing, the right way, every time," millennials and Gen Zers ask, "what is the right thing?" or "why is this the right way?" Many of us remember asking our parents "why," and their response was "because I said so." That answer is not an option for millennials and Gen Zers. A questioning attitude is a key component in achieving operational discipline and should be encouraged.
SOPs, checklists, policies and procedures helped reduce significant incidents in our industry over the past 30 years. Baby boomers and Gen Xers followed procedures knowing the consequences if they strayed because of their firsthand knowledge, experience and involvement in success and failure. When millennials and Gen Zers came into the workforce, they wanted to know why these procedures were written the way they are, and, if not given answers, they begin the deviation of the normalization process. If nothing happens, removing or altering that step becomes normal, and then another step is deviated from until an incident or near miss occurs.
A multi-generational workforce adds complications to operational discipline, but if we learn the strengths and weaknesses of each generation and use the strengths to our advantage, our industry can achieve operational excellence for many years to come. Instilling a culture of operational discipline requires recognizing that conditions will change over time, and that diligence is needed to ensure that the "right thing" and "right way" are defined, maintained and updated for each generation to come. As generations leave the workforce and new ones enter, the ability to adjust and communicate accordingly will determine our success.
For more information, visit www.houbrt.com or call (713) 645-0923.