Reducing Cycle Times in a Union Environment : Is The News All Bad ?

Prior research on cycle time management has emphasized the types of processes that organizations should employ to eliminate non-value-adding activities. Unfortunately, many of these approaches assume a willing and flexible workforce that is prepared to adapt readily to such changes. Consider an organization faced with an entrenched unionized workforce, governed by a stringent set of regulations regarding job demarcation, reduced flexibility, job seniority, and defined limits on outsourcing. Is the organization destined to remain less competitive due to the union? Based on a comparison of organizations in union and nonunion environments, there is evidence indicating that unionized organizations are indeed faced with longer cycle times as a result of these limitations. However, a set of interviews with managers at a number of unionized manufacturing organizations reveals that by either working with unions to establish better relationships or by simplifying existing job tasks, organizations can overcome some of the barriers to cycle time reduction imposed by unionized workforces. Introduction