Cleaning In Teams Leads To High Performance Cleaning

Just as Henry Ford revolutionized automobile manufacturing in the early 20th century, the pioneers of Team Cleaning have brought an assembly line approach to providing custodial services to an industry that was sorely in need of change.  

Before assembly line manufacturing was introduced, each car (formerly a carriage) was custom assembled with craftsmen using differing methods to accomplish their goals.  Not all parts were standardized.  When an automobile (or carriage) broke down, the owner oftentimes struggled with getting a replacement part which oftentimes had to be custom made from scratch.

Custodial operations were using the same premise when Zone Cleaning allowed each worker to perform their tasks in any order the chose while utilizing equipment that they felt suited them.  There was little thought put to using standardized equipment, chemicals and tools.  The results were based solely on the worker’s initiative and expertise.  In a small contract, it was not nearly as noticeable as in a large facility that expected the same outcomes in all areas.  Quality Control inspections were crucial to identify missed tasks and implement corrective actions before the customer complained.  This customized way of providing cleaning services was not very productive and certainly had inconsistent results.

Team Cleaning has revolutionized how we approach custodial services.  Today, one specialist will perform a task consistently with the goal of getting faster and better. He/she does not have to make nearly as many decisions and also is responsible for fewer tasks.  This one feature allows the worker to focus on excellence in a few tasks rather than being mediocre in many tasks.  As each worker is cross trained, they can fill in for an absentee much easier than when an entire area has to be covered by an inexperienced worker.  

Zone Cleaning is an expensive alternative to Team Cleaning and does not really satisfy the perception of personalized service.

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean…

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678.314.2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.