Culture Clash at United Manufacturing

A traditional plant must adopt lean principles. The workforce is deeply resistant. The change isn't the hard part. The trust is.

Duration

40 min

Difficulty

Beginner

Stakeholders

Company Size

Medium (100-500)

Educational Video

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Organizational Background

United Manufacturing has operated the same way for 30 years. A new parent company is mandating lean manufacturing adoption within 12 months or the plant faces closure. The 450 employees are predominantly long-tenured, union-represented workers who view lean as a threat to their jobs. The plant manager is supportive but has never led large-scale change. Previous improvement initiatives were abandoned halfway through.

Key Stakeholders

Learning Objectives

Apply Lewin's Change Model (Unfreeze-Change-Refreeze) in a practical setting
Understand and address resistance to change at individual and group levels
Design communication strategies for organizational transformation
Build a coalition for change across different stakeholder groups
Create a phased change implementation plan

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