Know-how, value and cooperation

How can management focus increase survival in the farrowing unit

Chief advisor Merete L. AndersenPig advisor Inga Riber

Are you leading your staff?

• - Or are they looking for you?

Good management

• Create results through others• ”Others will be tending to the pigs

now”

• What does it take?

A good leader is attentive and present

• A leader must like people • Closeness in daily work relations • No mobile phone – or let it ring• Oral communication• Texting only as an emergency

• Mutual respect

• Physical and mental state of the staff• Body language, what they say, do they need

help?• Who works well together?

A good leader is adaptable

• Positive attitude• Both internal and external changes • External• E.g. prices, legislation, disease

• Internal• No. of staff• Type of staff• Trainees/experienced• Personalities

• Sows / place units• Changes in routines

Be brave enough to make

changes – that will create

development..

A good leader uses his staff’s skills

• Know what you are good at• Know what your staff are good

at• Teach the staff to understand

that and to work with that • What are others good at, and

how can we use that? • Help bring out the best

in each other

A good leader is reliable

• Act in a reliable and credible manner• Note how your behaviour affects others• Tell your staff the effect of dismissive body

language • Inexperienced staff may become insecure

and make mistakes if you put pressure on them

A good leader performs

• Lead by example• Be active • Show and create

commitment• Be interested• Show recognition• Deliver messages convincingly and

credibly• Lead and give space

Lead by example• May be owner as well as herd manager • Does not mean you should do all the work• Manage and distribute tasks • Make sure the team functions• Make sure all staff know what they need to

know (reports from vet and advisor)

Management• Create results through others• Good results require satisfactory

solutions every day • Staff must thrive to deliver results• Job satisfaction is the outcome of,

among other things, good coperation • Cooperation requires mutual respect,

even if you are different

WHAT DO I SEE?

An example

• The person in charge of the farrowing unit knows how to perform her duties • Crossfostering• Nurse sow for the smallest

piglets• Nurse sows• Feed curves

• Stil, something is not right..

Typical situation

• E control shows mediocre results that vary greatly

• Pigs are not tended to in a satisfactory manner during weekends

• Busy everyday, always slightly behind • Owner in the unit at night• ”Cleaning” up after the staff

• Unhappy staff

Unhappy with colleagues

Different statements• The others do not do things properly• Some are too fast and sloppy• Others are too slow

• They work in an unstructured manner

• It is annoying that some people keep proposing new ideas rather than just doing their job

Unhappy with owner

Different statements• We are being taken for

granted• We are not given credit• We lack input from owner• We do not see owner often

• Owner fails to keep agreements• Owner fails to do as agreed• Owner fails to observe own instructions• Skims over work during weekends

• Owner is unstructured

Each has his own goal

THIS IS WHAT WE DID!

Challenges from owner’s point of view

• Failure to follow up on decisions made • Staff should make more decisions

themselves• Own solutions – own routines• Control ought not be necessary…• Loose follow up on agreements• Agreements not 100% clear• Who does what in the unit?

Problems

• Fell between 2 stools• Intentions were good• Everybody did their best• What had to be done, and by whom• Shift in responsibilities• Owner-Herd manager-Staff in charge of

farrowing unit• Too much responsibility on

herd manager• He did not say• – and we did not ask...

Management consulting

• Responsibilities were agreed• Herd manager had too many tasks• Work plans analysed• Routines – responsibility agreed • Agreed on how to do each routine

• Action plans with follow-up• Weekly meetings to follow-up on

agreements made

Week planPlanning every Monday• What needs to be done this week?• Who will do it?• Who has time off?• Who needs help?• Planning the weekendName Monday Tuesday Wednes-

dayThursday Friday

Owner Meetingsfrom 13

Meetings9-17

Herd manager

Resp. Farrowing unit

Time off from 14

X Time off

Y

THIS WAS DONE!

Work plans andworking procedures

• Work plan was made• Which tasks to do?

• Working procedures were described• How to perform the tasks?

• Everybody knows what needs to be done and how

• If in doubt, look it up

• Greater chance of tasks being done • Referral to documents• Also at follow-up

Responsibility

• The best man on the job

• Farrowing staff member did all tasks quickly and wanted total overview• The others did not do it well enough..

• But not enough time and not enough time was spent on the smallest piglets

Responsibility

• Everybody knows who does what

• Things get done

• Staff from weaner unit handled• Castrations• Morning feeding on farrowing days

• No one spends unnecessary time doing tasks twice • Or on worrying

Weekdays

• What does the owner do in the unit at night?• Checks on pigs• Moves individual pigs• Adjusts feed• Treats pigs• Without passing on information

• Now clear agreements!• No moving of individual pigs/adjustment of feed• Treatments are noted on board

Weekends and national holidays• Pass on info before• Possible nurse sows• Retreatments• Ongoing farrowings• Adjustment of feed• Keep it simple!

• Pass on info if• Problems• Retreatments• Ongoing farrowings• Adjustment of feed

= information, evaluation and good advice

Visit from advisor

• Visits are prepared• What would we like to discuss?

• Follow-up• Reports are read and discussed • Provides clarity of what needs changing and

who implements the change • Ensures understanding of why changes are

needed • Motivation to implement changes

WHAT WAS THE RESULT?

Result

• Improved information level• Insight into each other’s work• Fewer misunderstandings• More direct dialogue and improved

cooperation• Everybody works towards the same goal

• Greater joy of work and motivation• Vicious circle now a good circle• Staff look forward to coming to work• Better dialogue during lunch– everything is

more fun• Staff are happy to do a little extra

Result

• Ahead rather than behind• Finished on time – almost every day

• Significantly fewer mistakes

• No staff replacement

• Still room for improvement,but this is an ongoing process

Result

• Stable, better results• More pigs for sale• Fewer stillborn• Fewer dead

• Improved bottom line

• Owner knows he will not be excempt from work

• Everybody acknowledges that cooperation is a joint responsibility

And they lived happily ever after..

Thank you