Cummins has a notorious calibration process which sometimes is referred to as ranking. The calibration process is really based upon your salary grade and you will be compared to those of your colleagues that have similar salary grade. The principle is there has to be someone filled in the last 20% because, this is what I heard, this would make this calibration curve look more like normal distribution. You are asked to provide feedback for your stakeholders and also request feedback about you from them, which requires very good interpersonal savvy and ability to keep good relationship and at least maintain some technical level communication with them. You will have to keep such things smooth in order to stay away from the last 20%. Since there are always people falling into that group to ensure normal distribution curve (probably inspired by 6S), no one would feel secure about their jobs. Especially true for those who didn't get promoted or finish 6S for a long time.
One will come to understand Cummins is such a company whenever annual sales go up, you will see a lot of new faces and whenever it goes down, you will lose a lot of familiar faces. The recent year leadership in Cummins has strengthen this philosophy pf business management. It is a typical hire and fire company that is good at cutting its talent work force to offset any market shrinkage. I understand some tough business decisions have to be made sometimes but just don't understand why it will let go those who is just hired for a few months here, people I know who just bought house and had new baby, people who are traveling abroad to do thing for cummins and people who contributed to the core technologies of cummins products. Sadly the broken management is paid at a price of cutting its professional work force and refilling its work force whenever things start to look up.
