From Worker to Pilot

Technology comes to the rescue and enables the manufacturing industry to reimagine, redefine and rebrand its jobs into rewarding life paths.

But first, leaders should recognize the fundamental opportunities and challenges

The manufacturing industry should recognize, reimagine, redefine, and rebrand its jobs into rewarding life paths and meaningful images that its people can be proud of.

First, it would be a good start to Recognize that most manufacturing jobs require a lot of know-how and craft. Seemingly simple manufacturing operations can have hundreds of nuances. Some more complex processes have thousands of parameters that must be managed holistically, making these processes more complex than flying an aircraft, so these jobs are actually sexier than being a pilot.

By the way, what does “Worker” mean?

It is a noun.

However, compared to most nouns, it does not have an explicit meaning due to the overly dismissive and generic tone. Implicitly, it means someone who does the given work, whatever the work is, under someone else’s supervision and instruction.

It is an archaic word with a feudal connotation.

What about the so-called innovative terms like Connected Worker? I believe these are not innovative concepts; they are extensions of a feudal mindset into a high-tech world.

Obviously, adding adjectives or replacing words is not enough. We must fix the latent beliefs and subconscious biases that creep into people’s language and behaviors. In some factories, people are called “Temps,” the short form for “Temporary Workers” which illustrates how these biases shape daily language, and the dismissive tone becomes even more dismissive. Ironically, these factories are big fans of Lean, which is the Toyota Production System minus some minor principles like “Respect For People.”

On the other hand, business leaders are complaining about the shortage of workers. There is no shortage of workers; there is a shortage of meaningful careers, and this problem will persist unless it is genuinely addressed with some of the angles below.

• Fix the feudal and command-chain biases of the manufacturing industry.

• Really, actually, really-really respect people.

• Not jobs. Careers that individuals and families can count on and flourish with.

• Recognize, reimagine, redefine, and rebrand manufacturing careers into rewarding life paths and meaningful images that people can be proud of.

• Max out the use of technology.

© Saip Eren Yilmaz, 2023