The FMC Corporation has plants all over the country. One that has received quite a bit of attention is the small plant in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It has a very unique way of running business, and has experienced quite a bit of success with this innovative technique. Green River, Wyoming has a few large plants that have been there for decades. A new plant manager has sparked some interest in the way things operate in the plant at Aberdeen. He is curious about many aspects of the plant's model and how they differ from that of his. He would also like to know if Aberdeen's system is applicable to his plants.
The management of ability at Aberdeen FMC started out as a highly selective process. Management was very specific about the type of people they wanted working for them. On the other hand, the Green River locations have been around for a long time, and use their unions to manage ability. The management of ability is a process to correctly match people with jobs they are qualified for. Management does this by selection, placement, and training. (George/Jones, p.59) At Aberdeen, management looked for people with open minds, and positive attitudes. They felt that technical skills are more easily learned than personal. This was very important to management at Aberdeen because of their innovative way of running the plant. This allows for the employees to have more control, without there being any problems. Green River is focused on technical skills. This is because the union leaders take care of all the issues the employees might have, and wish to take up with management. They make use of their employees skill sets by getting their product in and out as quickly as possible. They leave the business side of things to the union leaders and management. I a ...