Multi-skilling in the Round

Multi-skilling at GKN Hardy Spicer is a phased program that exhibits many principles of socio-technical job design theory. This leading supplier of joint and driver shafts for front-wheel drive vehicles is introducing new technology to reduce costs, improve quality, and reduce working capital. The strategy for implementation of the new technology is a blend of new and old styles in which first-level decisions are made by the operator with specialist assistance available for more complex problems. The goal of self-motivation is central to the retraining of technical operatives, although it also requires changes in human resource management. The changes occur in supervision, production management, salary, over-education, and skill interfaces.