Short Lines Beat Org Charts

“I think adding more layers of management would wreck one of the great strengths of our business-very short lines of communication. "You can find out anything you want to know in a hurry," says Dan DiMicco, who manages the Nucor-Yamato Yamato Steel joint venture in Blytheville, Arkansas, "because you don't have to go through channels. You just pick up the phone or go see the person with the information you need. Most of the time, it's easy." Wouldn't most managers be thrilled to say that?”

“At our employee meetings, the general manager of the division kicks off the discussion with comments that last no more than 20 minutes. Then, the employees take over. They talk about their equipment, ment, rules and procedures, and anything else that pertains to how they see the business. Management listens. Second, management takes what employees tell them seriously. Most employees have to screw up a bit of courage to stand up and present a real problem or issue to their managers. If management then just pays the issue lip service, the connection will be lost.”