Transferring Knowledge
Job Instruction During World War II
It has frequently been said that World War II was a “War of Production.” When you think about it, the sheer amount of materials, supplies, weaponry, planes, tanks and other equipment required to support the War Effort was staggering. Not only were American factories switching over to products they’d never made, but many skilled production jobs had been vacated by the over sixteen million Americans who served their country. What was needed, was a training method to quickly raise the skill level of a workforce that was moving from the home and farm and displaced industries to wartime production.
WWII was very much a “War of Production”.
Enter the Job Instruction method to the rescue. Recall, the method has four main steps:
Present/ Demonstrate the Job/ Operation
Follow-Up
In Part One, we talked about the first step of the process, “Prepare the Worker.” We discussed the nuances of preparation, putting the trainee (and the trainer!) at ease and finding that magical “teachable moment.” We are now going to focus on the second step, “Demonstrate the Job,” which begins the initial knowledge transfer.
Job Breakdowns: Major Steps / Key Points/ Reasons
Every job or operation can be broken down into smaller elements or “Major Steps” that describe “What” needs to be done to complete the job.
For each of the Major Steps (“What”), there may be a technique (or techniques) that ensures the safety of the worker, “makes or breaks the job”, or makes the job easier. These techniques, or “tricks of the trade” are known as “Key Points” and they tell the worker “How” something must be done.
Each of the Key Points must then have a “Reason” that explains “Why” that technique is important. It is interesting to note that while not every Major Step will have a Key Point, every Key Point must have a Reason.
We document Jobs and Operations using a Job Breakdown Sheet, which is sometimes referred to as a Job Instruction Breakdown or JIB. Documenting Job Breakdowns is often the first step in the development of full Standard Work.
The Importance of Standard Work
Having all key processes documented (along with Job Instruction training) helps ensure that everyone does the job the same way, improving safety while minimizing variation in production and quality. For this reason, having documented Standard Work is a foundational element of the Toyota Production System to ensure stability.
Demonstrating the Job
It should go without saying that all trainers should be skilled in the jobs that they are training others in, and have been qualified to train others. In other words, trainers must be trained on how to best conduct training.
Before starting the training session, the trainer should review the current JIB or Standard Work. The trainer should follow the Standard Work as written not from recall even if they know the job well. Once the trainer has prepared themselves and the worker, it is time to start the second step, “Present the Operation.”
As the trainer presents, it is imperative to remove distractions and stop all unrelated discussion. If the learner is nervous and/or talkative, the trainer will need to patiently explain how the training will work, including letting the learner know that there will be time for discussion, questions, and practice of the skill later in the process.
The first time through the demonstration of the job the trainer will emphasize “What” they are doing step by step, as they complete each job task. Next, the trainer will demonstrate the job again, step by step, and will explain “What” they are doing, but will emphasize “How” each step is completed. Finally, the trainer will demonstrate the job one last time, this time explaining “What” they are doing, “How” they are doing it, and will emphasize “Why” the technique they are following is important. Each of the three demonstrations should be done patiently, calmly, and clearly to ensure understanding.
“Bitesized Chunks”
During this process, we need to “check in” with our learner and make sure they are not overwhelmed. It’s better to go slow and repeat the training in several short sessions, than to persist in attempting one long session in which there is more information than the learner can absorb.
This may be part of the reason why Job Breakdowns are limited to one sheet of paper!
Noisy Environments
When conducting training in very noisy environments where hearing protection is a must, some adjustments will need to be made. There is a variety of methods to do this, ranging from filming a skilled worker perform the job, and using voice-over to explain the Major Steps, Key Points and Reasons, to mocking up a training area where the process can be simulated. Another approach is to explain the process in a quiet area, then to go to the work area and demonstrate the job, returning to the quiet area for questions and discussion.
How Many Times Do We Demonstrate the Job?
This has been a point of discussion and debate for some time. If you read the historic Job Instruction manual from 1944 carefully, you will not find a reference to how many times the job should be demonstrated. Reading the reference card for training seems to indicate that the trainer needs to demonstrate the job one time, explaining the Major Steps, Key Points and Reasons carefully and thoroughly.
The method I described above has the trainer demonstrating three times before the worker tries out performance. This is the method of Job Instruction that I learned many years ago from a former Toyota employee and have taught others for since.
If your goal is to transfer knowledge in such a way as to help your learners remember, why not take a little extra time up front to demonstrate the operation thoroughly?
What Comes Next?
After “Demonstrate the Job” the next step will be to have the worker try out the job under the careful supervision of the trainer. We will cover the third step in the next blog post in this series.
“If the Learner Hasn’t Learned… the Teacher Hasn’t Taught.”
©2020 Dawn Armfield, ValueFlo Consulting LLC
