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Building a Strong Pollution Prevention
Team
One of a company’s
most valuable sources of improvement ideas is its employees.
Forming a pollution prevention (P2) team is an effective
way to harness the creative potential of employees for
problem solving.
Teams may be put together for short-term
problem solving. They may find ways to prevent a specific
problem, such as avoiding an impending water surcharge,
an increase in waste disposal costs or phosphorus treatment
costs. Teams work even better as part of continuous
improvement, where the company embraces the idea of
allowing everyone within the facility to contribute
ideas for improvement on an ongoing basis.
This fact sheet establishes a framework
for using a P2 team.
Benefits of Pollution
Prevention Teams
A team environment facilitates interactive, creative
problem solving. Some advantages of teamwork are:
- Innovative thinking.
The team provides the common
ground needed for a supportive atmosphere.
- Diverse perspectives. Suspending
the corporate hierarchy in a team gives members a
low pressure forum for communication. New viewpoints
can supplement or challenge traditional assumptions.
- Keys to future solutions.
By using teams for problem solving, companies are
better prepared to solve future problems. Team members
learn how to implement future changes and how to work
with other departments.
- Task oriented. Teams simplify
managing the problem solving process. Once the goal
of the team is known, employees prioritize and work
on different aspects of a problem, instead of facing
the whole project alone.
Teams can help companies be proactive and avoid potential serious problems or high costs. For example:
- The P2 team at West Central Turkey, Pelican Rapids, set up weekly water monitoring to control water use before it became a problem.
- At a Land O’ Lakes dairy plant in Woodbury an $86,500 service availability charge (SAC) was avoided by team water reduction efforts.
Team Composition
Five to seven members make teams manageable and effective. A team should try to represent every level of personnel from all areas affected by its activity. Recruit interested employees from departments such as: environmental, production, management, maintenance, receiving, supervisors and outside suppliers. People who work on the floor are close to day-to-day activities and often have an accurate understanding of processes and their problems. Consultants involved in operations may be a good fit as well. People who are enthusiastic and hard-working make the best team members.
As the team works on various problems
the members should actively consult additional personnel.
Keep the central group intact, but invite others to
participate when needed.
The team needs to have the support
of someone in top management—such as the plant
manager—who is willing to be the team leader and
can provide the authority to implement change. If needed,
this person can request the capital required to make
changes at the facility.
Facilitate
a Productive Meeting
Determine basic goals and priorities in advance, so
that everyone knows how to prepare for a meeting. Create
a detailed agenda, allotting time for each issue and
balanced participation.
Finding time. Teams should meet for no less than one hour every month. Some teams may want to meet as often as two to four times a month. Allowing work time for team meetings shows a company’s commitment to improvement. Fairview-University Medical Center, Minneapolis, made team meetings fun and gave incentives when team members problem-solved waste issues before work.
Meeting Roles
In order for meetings to run smoothly, team members
must understand their responsibilities.
Team leader: Delegates tasks,
presents background and sets the agenda.
Facilitator: Keeps meetings
on track. Enforces meeting
ground rules. This can be the team leader.
Technical expert/engineer:
Has technical knowledge of the facility and can help
devise realistic specifications for proposed changes.
Recorder: Documents brainstorming,
discussions and other relevant team activities. Prepares
minutes.
Discussion participants: Provide
balanced contributions. Are willing to participate in
discussions and listen to and respect other’s ideas.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a critical component of effective
teams and meetings. The following rules keep brainstorming
sessions productive.
- All ideas are valid.
- Avoid the creativity-stifling temptation
to discuss or judge ideas during brainstorming.
- Build on the ideas of others.
- Write down every idea so that all
members can see them.
- Each member should offer only one
idea at a time.
Always ask open-ended questions during
brainstorming. The following questions need to be addressed
in a waste reduction scenario.
- What is
the waste?
- Where is
the waste created?
- Why is the
waste created?
- When is
the waste created?
- What can be changed to reduce the
waste?
After brainstorming is complete, prioritize problems relative to their impact, cost and complexity. The most effective decisions are made by consensus because they have the team’s full support. A simple way to prioritize a large list is to have each group member vote for their favorite three items. Tasks can be delegated according to each member’s expertise and interest. First, team members can volunteer to follow up on tasks requiring no specific expertise. The team leader can assign the remainder. Make sure that no one gets either too much or too little to do.
Teams may want to use decision-making
tools—such as cause-and-effect diagrams or material/mass
balances—depending on the complexity of the problem.
Team Evolution
Before reaching its potential, a team grows through
certain stages. After forming, a team’s initial
energy can dissolve into a time of stress and tension.
Members must adjust to working together and take advantage
of the team’s collective strengths. As the team
adjusts it will start to perform. Some teams take months
to get on track, while others develop within a meeting.
Celebrate and reward success.
Real success is worth celebrating. Recognizing success
allows team members to enjoy their accomplishments.
Posting results, presenting awards, profit sharing and
bonuses all help keep employees motivated.
For More Information
MnTAP has a variety of technical assistance services available to help Minnesota businesses implement industry-tailored solutions that maximize resource efficiency, prevent pollution, increase energy efficiency, and reduce costs.Our information
resources are available online. Or, call MnTAP at 612.624.1300
or 800.247.0015 from greater Minnesota for
personal assistance.
For more information on waste reduction teams, see the manual Source
Reduction Now: How to Implement a Source Reduction Program.
Sources
Employee Involvement Team, Member
Manual, Donald L. Dewar,
QCI International, 1991, and The
Team Handbook, Peter R.
Scholtes, Joiner Associates Inc., 1992.
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