Published: August 16, 2022 Updated: May 20, 2025
Unlocking Potential: Psychological Insights for Modern Maintenance Teams
The world of maintenance, often perceived as a realm of machinery and technical specifications, actually pulses with human interaction. People drive processes, troubleshoot problems, and make critical decisions daily. The following pieces of advice, initially compiled by Akshay Vaishnav, offer a psychological insights for modern maintenance teams, especially within departments utilizing a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). These insights, ranging from subtle interpersonal cues to direct motivational tactics, hold significant potential for fostering a more cohesive, productive, and adaptable maintenance environment.
Building Connections and Enhancing Communication in Maintenance
Effective maintenance operations rely heavily on seamless communication and trust among team members. Several psychological hacks directly address these foundational elements.
1. The Eye Color Connection
When meeting new colleagues or interacting with vendors, try to notice their eye color while also smiling at them. This subtle action conveys genuine interest and attentiveness. For a maintenance supervisor interacting with a new technician, this engagement builds rapport and signals respect, translating into an easier flow of information regarding equipment histories or safety protocols within the CMMS. A technician who feels valued more accurately logs work orders and updates asset records, enriching the CMMS data.
2. Awareness of Touch
People are extraordinarily aware of their sense of touch. In a professional setting, understanding personal space and boundaries remains important. Being mindful of this awareness helps maintain professional conduct and avoids misunderstandings, fostering a more comfortable environment for discussions about CMMS data or shared tasks.
3. The Power of a Genuine Smile
Making the biggest smile possible can automatically make individuals feel happier. A happier technician more likely approaches a complex troubleshooting task with a positive attitude, making them more receptive to using CMMS tools like historical data. When individuals feel positive emotions, they show more resilience when facing CMMS-related challenges, like learning new software features.
4. A Positive Start to the Day
The moment an alarm sounds, immediately reacting by sitting up, pumping fists, and shouting "Yeah!" promotes an energetic start. This energetic jolt can translate into a more proactive approach to the workday. For maintenance teams, a positive start sets the tone for tackling the day's work orders and CMMS updates with enthusiasm.
5. Reading Body Language: The Feet Tell All
Paying attention to people's feet provides valuable non-verbal cues. If a planner discusses a critical preventive maintenance task with a technician and notices the technician's feet point away, the planner understands the need to get to the point or schedule a better time. This respect for time directly impacts efficiency, ensuring discussions about CMMS functionalities prove productive rather than frustrating. It prevents miscommunications that lead to incorrect data entry or missed deadlines within the CMMS.
Influencing Behavior and Driving Engagement with CMMS
Gaining cooperation and influencing positive behavior remain critical skills for maintenance leaders and team members alike.
6. The Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon
People are more likely to agree to do a task if you ask them to do something simpler first. This offers a powerful approach for CMMS adoption. Asking a technician to perform a small, easy task first, such as looking up a specific part in the CMMS, makes them more amenable to a larger request later, like completing a comprehensive preventive maintenance checklist. This gradual approach breaks down resistance and builds commitment.
7. Leveraging Cognitive Dissonance
If you ask someone to do you a small favor, cognitive dissonance will unconsciously make them believe that, because they did that favor, they must like you. If a supervisor asks a technician for a small favor, like helping a new hire navigate a specific CMMS module, the technician unconsciously aligns their perception with their action, believing they like the new hire or the CMMS. This subtle psychological shift builds camaraderie and encourages active participation in team goals.
8. The Power of Silence for Complete Answers
If you ask someone a question and receive only a partial answer, simply wait. Staying silent and maintaining eye contact often prompts them to continue talking. When a technician provides a partial update on a repair or a CMMS issue, a supervisor who patiently waits for elaboration receives a more complete picture. This technique encourages detailed reporting, ensuring accurate and comprehensive data entry into the CMMS.
9. Chewing Gum for Nerves
Chewing gum when approaching a situation that causes nervousness can calm the brain. The brain reasons, "I would not be eating if I were in danger, so I am not in danger." This hack can reduce anxiety, allowing for clearer thought and more effective decision-making, whether troubleshooting a complex machine or navigating a detailed CMMS report. A calmer individual makes fewer errors when entering data or analyzing reports within the CMMS.
10. Avoiding the Sidewalk Shuffle
Avoid awkward collisions by looking intently over the oncoming person's shoulder. In a busy plant environment, this hack helps maintenance personnel navigate congested areas efficiently, avoiding unnecessary delays. This contributes to a smoother workflow and allows more focus on critical tasks logged in the CMMS.
11. Teaching to Master Learning
When studying or learning something new, teach a friend about it and let them ask questions. This hack directly supports knowledge transfer and skill development within a maintenance team. When a technician learns a new CMMS module, teaching it to a colleague solidifies their understanding. This practice creates internal trainers, building a more self-sufficient team and encouraging the creation of internal knowledge bases within the CMMS.
12. The Feeling You Leave Behind
People will remember you not by what you said but by how you made them feel. This emphasizes the importance of interpersonal skills in maintenance. A positive and supportive interaction with a colleague or supervisor, even during a challenging equipment failure, fosters lasting positive impressions. This leads to stronger working relationships, making individuals more willing to collaborate on CMMS data accuracy and share best practices.
13. Reciprocating Enthusiasm
If you get yourself to be happy and excited to see other people, they will react the same to you, perhaps not the first time, but certainly the next. A maintenance manager who genuinely greets their team with enthusiasm can elevate the mood of the entire shift. This positive atmosphere translates into more cooperative work, where technicians readily share insights gained from their CMMS usage, leading to better data quality and utilization within the CMMS.
14. Staying Calm Under Pressure
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p>When people are angry at you and you stay calm, it will get them even angrier, and they will be ashamed about it later. In a maintenance environment, heated discussions can arise. A supervisor who maintains composure during a tense interaction de-escalates the situation. This approach demonstrates professionalism and leadership, setting a positive example for conflict resolution and encouraging rational problem-solving, which is essential for accurate CMMS documentation.
If you have a warm hand when you shake somebody's hand, you immediately become a more desirable person to get along with. This simple physical gesture conveys warmth and openness. When meeting new team members, a warm handshake establishes an immediate positive connection. This can facilitate smoother discussions about work scope or CMMS integration.
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16. False Attribution of Arousal (Suspension Bridge Effect)
This hack describes a dating scenario, where if the date includes an active event such as a visit to the amusement park, one person might feel the excitement of the date as excitement of being with the other person. The underlying principle can be adapted. Working together through a challenging but successful emergency repair or a complex CMMS implementation project can create a sense of shared accomplishment and camaraderie. The "excitement" of overcoming a significant challenge together can strengthen team bonds and positive associations with colleagues, fostering a more cohesive and supportive environment for future CMMS-related endeavors.
17. The Key to Confidence
The key to confidence involves walking into a room and assuming everyone already likes you. For a new maintenance manager or a technician presenting an improvement idea, this mindset projects self-assurance. This perceived confidence makes others more receptive to ideas, whether they involve proposing new CMMS features or advocating for changes in maintenance procedures.
18. Using Names for Connection
Refer to people you have just met by their name. People love being referred to by their name, and it will establish a sense of trust and friendship right away. A maintenance planner who consistently uses technicians' names when assigning work orders or discussing CMMS updates builds stronger individual relationships. This personal touch fosters a feeling of belonging and importance, making individuals more engaged with their tasks and increasing the likelihood of meticulous CMMS usage.
19. The Power of First Impressions (and First Options)
Studies show that when people are presented with a list of options, they are most likely to pick whatever is first. This hack holds practical application in presenting information within a CMMS or during discussions. When presenting a list of CMMS reports or suggesting different approaches, placing the preferred option first increases its likelihood of selection. This subtle influence guides decision-making towards desired outcomes.
20. Pre-Interview Psychological Alteration
For interviews, alter your psychological state beforehand. Telling yourself, "I have known these people all my life. We are old friends catching up," and visualizing a positive interaction can significantly improve outcomes. Holding an open pose with confidence projects a positive image and influences self-perception. This preparation extends to approaching new CMMS functionalities; a positive psychological state fosters open-mindedness and reduces resistance to change.
These psychological hacks, while seemingly simple, offer profound benefits for maintenance departments utilizing a CMMS. They focus on the human element, which drives the effective use of any technological system. By understanding and applying these insights, maintenance teams can cultivate stronger relationships, enhance communication, improve morale, and ultimately, drive higher levels of performance and asset reliability.
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