Example All Workers Need Training

A skilled maintenance mechanic is hired who has previous experience from a competitor. One of the assembly lines breaks down, and this new mechanic is assigned to fix the problem. Even though this new mechanic is experienced, he or she probably does not have the experience with this particular assembly line machine. 

Although this new mechanic may have the basic qualifications to perform the work task, he or she is lacking the history of this machine and is not familiar with the machine s operation. Throwing the new mechanic into an unfamiliar situation and expecting him or her to fix the problem without an adequate background is similar to throwing a nonswimmer out of a boat in the hopes that he or she will learn to swim quickly—or drown. It is probably a better scenario that someone who has worked on this machine in the past and is familiar with its repair history and idiosyncrasies will work with this new mechanic for awhile. This mechanic will probably also be enrolled in some courses that educate attendees on the important maintenance aspects of this line. 

Let s look at the example of an auto mechanic. One would think that when a mechanic leaves one dealership and goes to work for a competitor, he or she can wheel his or her toolbox right in and get started immediately. After all, this mechanic is a skilled worker and has worked on these exact same cars for many years—only the location has changed, right Not really. Although a team member s skill 

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