As Resistance Faded, Managers Learned Value of Training

For the 11 middle managers from Anthony International, the Friday afternoon leadership training program was not voluntary. There was resistance at first when the classes began in January at the WorkSource building in Pacoima; Time was valuable to these men who work collectively to supervise some 300 employees on the production floor of the refrigerator and freezer door manufacturer. When the program ended earlier this month the resistance had been overcome. Communication had improved between departments that may not have been talking with each other. These 11 managers had received skills in handling of employees, taking ownership of their departments, and coming up with ideas of how Anthony can improve its product offering. Class members gave much credit to the instructor, Virginia Green, an instructor at Woodbury University and Los Angeles Valley College. As soon as you meet Green you automatically buy into what she is teaching, said Dwayne Elkins, supervisor of Quality Assurance and Customer/Field Service. “I fully understood from the day I first met her what she was trying to do,” Elkins said. Partnership The training program is an effort of Anthony, headquartered in Sylmar, and Los Angeles Valley College. A group of 14 managers and supervisors completed the program in 2009. The company is a big proponent of continuing education for its employees, said Griselda Padilla, the head of the human resources department. Anthony recognizes that its workers at all levels need to not only perform their existing duties but be prepared with skills necessary in the years ahead. By preparing for jobs needed in the future it will help get the economy moving out of the recession, Padilla said. “If we partner with the community colleges like we do by offering training and development it is not only good for the company it is good for California,” Padilla said. The class members Green taught were diverse in their backgrounds. Some had limited English skills. School experience ranged from finishing up the sixth grade to attaining master’s degrees. Two lost their jobs when they were laid off from aluminum wheel maker Superior Industries International in Van Nuys. Few knew how to put together a power point presentation necessary for their final presentation for company executives and classmates. Helping the company For that presentation, Green had the class come up with a potential new product or method of doing work incorporating energy efficiency and sustainable practices and that helped one another and the company. Elkins came up with a corrective action process to prevent problems with products while on the factory floor. Orlando Garcia gave his presentation on how in a kitchen remodel replacing wooden doors with glass doors brought a cost savings to a homeowner and saved trees from being cut down. State Employment Training Panel funds administered by Valley College paid for the program. The school has worked with other companies on the training but what made Anthony’s different was having the managers come up with ways to improve productivity, said Lennie Ciufo, director of the job training program at Valley College. Green called middle management the hardest position at a company because these managers were dealing with the executives above them, the employees below them, and with each other. Because of the time needed to fulfill their duties, it was a big deal to have them take out four hours every Friday to attend the program. What came out of it was the managers began to have lunches with each other and to meet earlier and earlier with each class period. “That’s what they learned, just how much they could learn,” Green said.