Mission-Directed Workteams (MDWT) is a long-term program based on recognized world-class best practices that aims to bring organizations to Level 5.
Nestle Philippines, Inc. (NPI) has launched the first module of MDWT in the Technical Division in January 2007. The Division has initially rolled out the program in the Cabuyao, Lipa and Cagayan de Oro Factories, and Aurora is about to start.
"We want our Company to make a big difference in the lives of our employees. When employees proudly say, 'I am part of this great company', you know that you have engaged their hearts. MDWT will help bring us to a Level 5 organization," explains Philippe Chappet, Head of the Core Team tasked to ensure that key MDWT milestones are clear and that there is harmony in implementation. With him in the Core Team are VP for Technical Training Caloy Jose, VP for Learning and Development Renee Valdez, and Learning Manager Mia Salim.
But MDWT is not designed only for the Technical Division, Philippe clarifies. "We had to start somewhere, and Management believes that the Technical Division is the ideal start-up ground for MDWT because of its SINAG experience, the challenges it faces today, and its organizational structure. Supply Chain will get into MDWT middle of this year. The rest of NPI will eventually follow."
Conceptually, MDWT is an extension of the existi ng S I NAG+ activities, but with more focus on daily performance, Technical Director Campo van Beek explains. "It is a typical learning experience 'on-the-job'. The best way to convince people of the merits of the program is to give everyone the opportunity to participate and experience for themselves what it means to be empowered."
Philippe said MDWT is not a worldwide initiative, but a market initiat[ve. Nestle companies in South Africa, Oceania, and Malaysia have started their MDWTs two to five years ago. This year, Indonesia, India, Sri-Lanka and the Philippines are following suit.
In the Technical Division's MDWT, teams composed of shop floor employees, through active participation and involvement, manage their own mini-business units based on objectives that are fully aligned with Company goals. By engaging, developing and supporting shop floor employees, MDWT aims to strengthen their sense of ownership, help focus their efforts on the business, and create in them a mindset of continuous improvement.
Campo, a staunch supporter of MDWT, shares that the ultimate goal of MDWT is to constructively engage each employee to make his personal contribution to the success of NPI, thereby accelerating the pace of the continuous improvement process. “As we move forward with the implementation, we will progressively see a difference in the factories in the way we work and also in the results we obtain” he adds.
Through the program, the teams and their leaders are introduced to workplace management practices applied by world-class organizations all over the world. “The objective is for the organization ‘to borrow with pride’ applicable best practices, so it too can head toward being a world class organization which is also a great place to work in,” explains Philippe.
