ABSTRACT
Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD), Brazil’s largest iron ore producer, has carried out, in the last decade, several management initiatives aiming to achieve a higher level of performance. One of these initiatives is called “Programa Produção Nota 10”, which can be translated as Grade 10 Production Program. The main elements of the program are: the organization of personnel into teams that work to accomplish objectives set for groups and departments that are joined together; education and training in technical and social fields; and, systems for monitoring progress towards the goals. The teams that perform best are given awards in special ceremonies that are scheduled periodically. Most of the indices used to measure operational performance during the last three years indicated improved performance when compared to the previous year. The purpose of this paper is to present in detail this innovative management program which is producing deep effects at CVRD.
