Reduce the Units of Input Not Producing Output
Reduce units of Input (I) available but not producing Intermediate Cost Drivers
(ICDs). This action makes Input levels more directly variable with the quantity of the ICD by reducing the amount of the available Input that is wasted or idle. For example, an employee (I) might produce one subassembly (ICD) per day. During that day, the employee spends a total of one hour waiting for parts for the subassembly. If the Company could eliminate that one lost hour of the employee's work day by providing parts in a more timely manner, the Company could reduce the number of employees (I) needed to produce the same subassembly (ICD) by 1/8th.
B. Shift demand to use unproductive resources.
The company may shift demand from one location, or time period, to another in order to take advantage of idle capacity.
Location: centralize activities
Other
| No. | Industry SIC | Year | Notes |
| 1 | 3571 | 2008 | Some consultants are now urging companies to increase team sizes, so organizations can run with fewer bosses, in part by using technology to communicate and help monitor work. Sun Microsystems, however, still prefers to work with teams of 10 people or fewer. Sun has been putting more energy into redesigning work environments so that teams can expand or contract more easily as projects evolve. Some initiatives include better support for engineers who sometimes work from home and flexible seating so that growing teams can fit in new members without losing proximity. |
| 2 | 7389 | 2006 | More and more companies are moving customers service jobs out of high-overhead call centers and into what is possibly the lowest-overhead place in the U.S.: workers' homes. Homeshoring also provides a flexible just-in-time workforce. Shifts can last as little as 15 minutes. Agents are paid only for the time spent on the phone. Technology lets companies monitor worker performance with extreme precision. While a state-side call center worker typically costs $31 an hour, including overhead and training, home agents cost only $21. Willow says the company's home agents make sales that are up to 25% higher than in call centers; their customer satisfaction rates are often 40% better. |
| 3 | 8299 | 2005 | Despite ongoing investigations of ITT Educational Services, the for-profit educator has remained on track. In 2004, student enrollment rose 14% from a year earlier. The company has diversified its product line, with a series bachelor degrees programs. With the difficult tech market, the company has branched out beyond tech jobs, such as associate and bachelor degrees in criminal justice and business. A new 2+1 hybrid program allows students to go to class two days on site and one day online, increasing capacity utilization at ITT's facilities. |
<<Return to Reduce Input Not Producing Output