The employees of a midsized printed circuit-board manufacturer had been excited about their empowerment program during its first several months of operation. A number of solid suggestions for improvement had been made, accepted, and implemented, saving the company substantial amounts of money by reducing throughput time by 19%. During this period, the management was very supportive. Because of its new employee-driven competitiveness, the company became a hot item and was sold at a sizable profit. The new management team voiced agreement with the empowerment program, but it soon became apparent that management support was hollow and halfhearted at best. Within 3 months of the sale, employee interest in the program had died, and the program had been dissolved.

QUESTION

If you were the quality manager for this company and the employee empowerment effort had been your idea, how would you have gained a commitment to it from the new management team?