Fmc Green River

Leadership and Groups

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Third Review: A CLOSER LOOK

Leadership and Groups

FMC Green River

Background

          FMC is and has been a successful company for the last fifty-six years.   First originated in 1948 and produced 1.3 million tons of various grades of soda ash a year.
The success of the first business brought about a second refining plant in 1953, which was completed in 1970.  
    FMC Aberdeen, located in South Dakota with a population of 30,000 is also a successful subsidy of FMC.   FMC Aberdeen employs one hundred people, produces one product, which is a missile canister for the U.S. Navy.    
    FMC Green River managed by Mr. Dailey, produces various chemicals, has over 100 domestic and international customers, 1,150 employees, creates several products and works closely at times with the United Steel Workers of America.

Situational Awareness
    Aberdeen has a great structure for the ability to create quickly various small work teams such as informal groups or self managed work teams that allow the group to focus on improving a specific process.   At Aberdeen the small groups gather, choose their own leader, poll together ideas and come up with a solution to specific problem.   Once a solution is found the team disbands.   Since Aberdeen's company is smaller and its employees create a family atmosphere, the role relationships between the people in the groups have a strong personal bond.   This basic idea will also work at FMC Green River but will require some modifications.   At Green River, if they follow the same concept, then the small groups that gather to solve a specific problem must also remember that what effects one decision in the process they are improving may have a devastating impact on another division of the same company since the company produces different products.   Quickly creating teams on the spot for resolutions to specific problems as done at Aberdeen is much easier when only dealing with one product for...