Tech Enabled Mentorship: Revolutionizing Talent Development in Manufacturing

Mentorship is more than a relationship, it’s an inheritance.

Not only for the individual accelerating their growth, but also to fortify the entire organization.?

When process knowledge, skills and wisdom are passed down from your veteran manufacturers to the next generation of frontline workers, the value becomes exponential.

But history, mentoring and job shadowing were the primary methods for transmitting knowledge within manufacturing. While these methods are invaluable, modern technology is revolutionizing this relationship, making it more efficient and impactful.

In this article, we’ll explore the significance of mentorship in manufacturing and offer practical tips on how your team can facilitate effective mentoring through digital enhancements.

The Value of Mentoring

Mentoring’s significant organizational and individual benefits are undeniable. In a five year study on mentorship in the workplace, Sun Microsystems found that the retention rates were 72% for mentees and 69% for mentors, compared to 49% for employees who did not participate in the mentoring program. In the participants of the study, companies saw a potential savings of $6.7 million in avoided turnover and replacement costs.?

These numbers rang true in a recent episode of the Voices of Manufacturing podcast. We interviewed Allen Yeung, VP of Product at Dozuki, who’s worked at Colgate Palmolive, Walmart and a host of other leading manufacturers.

Allen’s career has been guided by seasoned professionals who imparted crucial wisdom and technical knowledge. These mentors, who had been in the industry for decades, taught him not only the intricacies of automation and manufacturing processes but also essential soft skills like effective communication and problem-solving.

“When I first joined the workforce, my mentors had worked at the company for longer than I’d been alive. They’d stuck around long enough to see how everything evolves. They had true wisdom, so I positioned myself to benefit from it.”

Do those relationships exist at your company? Do you have systems for collecting feedback from both mentors and mentees? And are you acknowledging and rewarding mentors for their contribution to developing frontline talent??

If not, here are several tips for increasing productivity and engagement at your company through tech enabled mentorship.

How to Facilitate Tech Enhanced Mentorship

1. Knowledge Capture and Sharing: Mentors need a digital platform to document their processes, best practices, and troubleshooting tips in a structured format. This ensures that valuable knowledge is preserved and easily accessible to mentees.
2. Interactive Work Instructions: Does your connected worker solution enable the creation of interactive work instructions that mentors can use to train mentees? These instructions can include videos, images, and step-by-step guides that enhance learning and retention.
3. Tracking Progress: Mentors in some industries might approach their relationships informally, but in manufacturing, tracking the progress of mentees is key. Mentors should be able to see which training and instructions have been accessed and how well mentees are performing tasks.
4. Collaboration Tools: Mentors don’t teach, they model. That’s why platforms like Dozuki offer collaboration features that enable mentors and mentees to communicate directly within the platform. This fosters real-time support and guidance.
5. Continuous Improvement: Digital continuous improvement tools help mentors and mentees identify process enhancements, boosting operational efficiency. Pairing experts with new hires fosters a two-way knowledge exchange. This scales expertise across the company, but also strengthens the bond between new and experienced workers.

Mentorship is a cornerstone of talent development in the manufacturing industry.?

By implementing structured mentorship programs and leveraging modern tools, organizations can ensure that critical knowledge and skills are effectively transferred to the next generation of manufacturing professionals.?

That’s more than a relationship, it’s an inheritance.

Both the worker, and the organization as a whole.