8 Steps to Build a Securely Standardized Team

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1.jpg In the practice of researching the establishment of standardized work teams for safe production in enterprises, I have developed a process for creating such teams. This process generally includes eight aspects: preliminary preparation, team selection, personnel allocation, establishment of rules and regulations, training and education, safety management, performance evaluation, and continuous improvement. I would like to briefly discuss each of these aspects with you. 1. Preliminary preparations: \"Everything is accomplished with planning; without it, nothing can be achieved.\" The preliminary preparations for conducting research on the establishment of standardized work teams for safe production in enterprises are equally important. These preparations involve both hardware and software aspects; regarding hardware, it mainly refers to the arrangement of the team’s work area and meeting room (if available) ； Regarding software, the main tasks involve the collection and analysis of relevant materials: **laws and regulations related to safe production, materials sharing insights on successful models for establishing standardized safety teams both domestically and internationally, case studies of typical accidents in this industry, analyses of safety hazards within teams, and other related materials.** 2. Team selection: Generally, depending on the production processes and management requirements of the process, key production positions, critical positions with many hazardous factors, as well as positions where there is a relatively high concentration of personnel are selected. For companies with a large number of teams, one or several representative teams can be chosen first, and then expansion can be carried out from these teams. 3. Staffing For most companies, once the work teams are established, the organizational structure and management framework are also defined. Therefore, when it comes to staffing, the most important factor is the selection of team leaders. In a sense, the quality of managers is the most crucial determinant of an organization’s effectiveness. A competent team leader must possess \"four key capabilities\" (excellent organizational and leadership skills, outstanding professional technical skills, strong management and coordination abilities, and remarkable learning and initiative). Such a leader should be capable of both doing the work themselves and managing others; they need to have authority while also being willing to listen to others’ opinions. They must continuously improve themselves through practical experience in safety management, and use various methods to motivate team members and enhance the team’s cohesion and unity. Next is the arrangement of team members. A company cannot bring all its talented individuals together in one team; therefore, it is necessary to use methods such as pairing the best with the less competent, allowing free combination, organizing teams in different levels, mixing men and women, ensuring balanced distribution, and assigning those with weaker skills to work independently. These approaches should be combined with target management to achieve a situation where \"the right person is assigned to the right task, everyone’s abilities are utilized to the fullest, and talent is put to good use.\" 4. Establishing rules and regulations: \"Though small, a sparrow has all its vital organs.\" This implies that the systems for safety-production standardized work teams should be comprehensive. When creating such systems, it is essential to seek input from team members on a wide scale to avoid any omissions. Regarding the comprehensiveness of the system, reference can be made to the requirements specified in various safety production assessment documents such as the \"Detailed Scoring Rules for the Basic Standards of Safety Production in Metallurgical and Other Industrial and Trade Enterprises\" ； Secondly, it is necessary to be \"concise\". The purpose of establishing systems is to regulate the safe production practices of team members and ensure that all production activities within the team are carried out in accordance with established guidelines. Therefore, systems should be simplified appropriately, taking into account the characteristics of production and the actual conditions of various tasks, so as to remain concise and effective. Unnecessary, ineffective, or overly complicated systems should be revised or removed as appropriate ； Finally, the rules and regulations must be “improved” according to specific circumstances to ensure they are in line with the latest developments. Since systems are not static, it is necessary to regularly assess their compliance and effectiveness, and to make continuous modifications and improvements. 5. Education and training: In the development of safety-standardized work teams, education and training is a crucial element. On one hand, it serves as an important means for team members to acquire safety skills and apply knowledge related to safety management ； On the other hand, education and training are important measures to reduce and eliminate illegal, irregular, and reckless behaviors and to prevent accidents. To carry out effective education and training, it is necessary to adopt an approach that takes into account individual differences, the aptitudes of each person, and the timing appropriate for teaching. “\"Teaching according to individual needs\" refers to emphasizing the people-oriented concept; after analyzing the abilities and requirements of team members, educational training is then carried out. According to statistics, the abilities and needs of team members can be roughly divided into four types: (1) Directive type: They carry out the tasks assigned to them, focusing only on their own work, and work in a relatively independent manner ； (2) Participatory: Capable of completing one’s own tasks independently and assisting with other tasks, and able to participate in team activities ； (3) Supportive type: Possesses strong professional technical skills and management capabilities, and is able to lead and organize teams to carry out activities ； (4) Achievement-oriented: As the \"deputy team leader\" in the construction of a safety-production standardized team, they are able to assist the team leader in handling daily tasks. Based on these different types, educational and training efforts should follow the principle of \"transforming and reforming directive-style approaches, consolidating and improving participatory and supportive approaches, and enhancing achievement-oriented approaches\". This enables team members to recognize their shortcomings, make continuous improvements, and gradually become skilled individuals capable of handling tasks independently. “\"Teaching according to students’ aptitudes\" – here, \"aptitudes\" refer to the \"materials\" used in education and training, including: safety awareness education, safety responsibility education, education on safety production policies and laws and regulations, safety technology knowledge education, and accident case studies. “\"Teaching according to the timing\" refers to the timing and frequency of education and training. Team members need to receive sufficient training hours so that they can understand and master the required requirements and skills. The quality of education and training is measured by its effectiveness. On one hand, it’s not true that the more frequent the education and training, the better; sometimes too much is just as bad as too little ； On the other hand, it has been proven that providing training and education when employees have a need for it yields the best results; therefore, an appropriate frequency and the right timing are also very important in such training and education. 6. Safety Management: Safety management plays a very important role in the establishment of standardized work teams for safe production. Generally speaking, it includes on-site safety management and information security management; more specifically, it involves the management of systems and operating procedures, the management of equipment and facilities, safety management during operational processes, identification and resolution of potential hazards, emergency response plans and accident handling, requirements for safety assessments, and the management of safety-related documents. Next, I would like to share with you information about a company in the field of safety management that stands out for its unique features. These features include the following: 1. Each work team maintains a \"Work Log\" that covers various aspects such as the safety responsibilities of all employees, the guidelines and procedures for safety work, the contents of safety inspections, equipment safety management, and the requirements for evaluating safety performance. In essence, this log encompasses all the systems related to people, machinery, materials, the environment, and management within the team. 2. The “Regulations on Safety Mutual Assurance and Joint Protection in Work Teams” were established; each team member is assigned a partner for mutual assurance and joint protection. In simpler terms, this means a more experienced worker supervises a newcomer. This approach is especially important for workers engaged in special types of work. Previously, it was the case that the worker carried out the tasks while the safety officer was responsible for inspection and supervision. However, given the wide range of areas that need to be inspected and the large number of items to be checked, it’s impossible to ensure sufficient inspection frequency and thoroughness, often resulting in only superficial checks. As a result, there are certain shortcomings in safety management regarding personnel, machinery, materials, the working environment, and management practices. Now it is \"I do the work, the mutual insurance partners oversee it, and safety officers conduct further inspections and supervision\" – this is actually a step forward. During the production process, there is additional oversight, an extra layer of protection, and an additional \"safety barrier\" that helps to prevent unsafe behaviors by workers, reduces the likelihood of violations of safety rules, and ensures production safety. At the same time, the mutual insurance partners share experiences and communicate with each other both during work and in their personal time, thereby improving their skills together. Moreover, the individuals who are covered by this mutual support system are not fixed; once the \"newcomers\" become more experienced and are able to work independently for a while, they in turn take on new newcomers, while the \"mentors\" can mentor other newcomers as well. It is this ongoing pattern of mentors guiding newcomers that generates continuous vitality and momentum, driving the development of the enterprise. 3. A “Management System for Rational Suggestions on Work Safety” was established, allowing team members to provide valuable suggestions on the standardization of work safety in the team from seven different aspects. (1) Improvement of production technology, production processes, and production facilities ； (2) Improvement of safety technologies and labor protection technologies ； (3) Measures and methods to save materials and energy ； (4) Improvements in engineering design and enhancements in project quality ； (5) Promotion and application of scientific and technological achievements and technological innovation projects ； (6) Suggestions, innovations, and applications of safety management methods and tools ； (7) Construction of a safety culture, spiritual civilization, and professional ethics. 7. Performance evaluation primarily aims to assess the effectiveness of the operation of safety-production standardized teams, and it involves three steps: first, conducting comparative analyses to identify deviations; second, analyzing the nature and causes of those deviations; and finally, taking corrective actions based on the nature and causes of the deviations. In terms of performance evaluation, the company mentioned earlier follows this approach: 1. The criteria for performance evaluation consist of two parts: the fulfillment of job requirements and goals (measured in terms of frequency), and the completion of specific tasks (measured in terms of quantity and score). The evaluation process needs to take into account both the overall picture and the detailed aspects. 2. Strengthen the assessment of accidents. Accidents resulting in minor injuries or worse are considered “unqualified,” and attempted accidents carry a high penalty score. 3. Establish bonus points to encourage catching up and surpassing others. Factors such as the completion rate of hazard rectification, suggestions for safety improvements, and emergency response to accidents are considered bonus points, with no upper limit. 4. The standards are high; it’s easy to meet them, but difficult to excel. The evaluation score is based on 97 points, with 80 as the threshold: scores below 80 are considered failing, 80 (inclusive) to 90 are considered passing, 90 (inclusive) to 100 are considered good, and scores of 100 (inclusive) or higher are considered excellent. Such standard settings, while taking into account the majority of situations, also present certain difficulties; to some extent, they provide more room for those with proven skills and those with potential to develop and grow. 8. Continuous improvement essentially involves implementing corrective actions in the relevant aspects of building standardized work safety teams, thereby enhancing their effectiveness, and also involves monitoring and verifying the adequacy and effectiveness of these corrective actions. The aspect of continuous improvement can be explained from two perspectives: dynamic management and innovative management in the construction of safety-production standardized work teams. 1. Dynamic management in the construction of safety-production standardized work teams is manifested in the fact that, overall, the entire process can be understood as a dynamic cycle of “PDCA” ； In specific terms, its safety production objectives, management systems, personnel, content and methods of training and education, as well as assessment standards and requirements are not fixed; they all need to be continuously revised and improved as safety production management progresses. 2. The innovative aspects of management in the development of safety-production-standardized work teams are as follows: (1) Innovation in team activities. Activities such as “I Offer a Suggestion for Safety” (sense of ownership), “What Would I Do to Ensure Safety if I Were the Team Leader?” (empathy), and “Simulating On-Site Hazard Inspections” (hands-on experience) are carried out to effectively improve the team’s ability to handle and resolve practical problems, thereby enhancing the team’s safety management capabilities ； (2) Innovation in team management. First of all, it is a learning-type organization. The learning and acquisition of new knowledge regarding safety management, on the one hand, updated, supplemented, and improved the existing management knowledge system ； On the other hand, it provides a basis for rationalizing the methods and approaches to building standardized work safety teams, thereby improving operational efficiency. Secondly, strengthen the management of members in the “weak link” group. The abilities and skills of team members vary greatly; for those who are relatively weaker, it is necessary to identify them specifically in order to provide guidance and support so that they can develop rapidly ； Finally, implement incentive management. On the one hand, in the development of standardized work teams for safe production, phased target assessment and management are implemented, with appropriate rewards given based on the achievement of safety production targets ； On the other hand, every team member should be given equal opportunities for promotion; those who are competent should rise to higher positions, those of average ability should make way, and those who are incompetent should be demoted. Appropriate personnel changes will bring vitality and momentum to the development of standardized safety production teams.