Betting on Job Shadowing and Cross-Training: Proven Gains in Supply Chain Performance

What happens when you trade your desk for a different one - or even the production floor - for a few weeks? At Mary Kay, the #1 Direct Selling Brand of Skin Care and Color Cosmetics in the world[1], it leads to sharper insights, greater teamwork, and a more connected supply chain.

Job shadowing is said to be less common in supply chain innovation. Mary Kay has proven otherwise. The Mary Kay Operations and Scheduling teams at the Richard R. Rogers Manufacturing and R&D Center (R3) in Texas recently embarked on a cross-functional job shadowing initiative designed to foster better collaboration and innovation. In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, efficiency and coordination are everything. While data and dashboards offer valuable insights, nothing compares to the clarity gained from seeing the work firsthand. That's where job shadowing comes in - a simple, yet powerful tool that can transform how operations and scheduling teams perform seamlessly and in unison.

"For us at Mary Kay, job shadowing isn't just a learning tool - it's a strategic advantage," said Chaun Harper, Mary Kay's Chief Supply Chain Officer. "Cross-functional job shadowing connects teams more closely to the heart of manufacturing, sparking insights that lead to smarter decisions, stronger problem-solving, and greater agility. My mission is to build a world-class Supply Chain organization, and every step we take is aligned to that bold goal."

By stepping into each other's daily workflows, both operations and scheduling teams gained a new appreciation for the complexities, demands, and pressures each role faces. More importantly, it opened the door for richer communication and smarter collaboration moving forward. While the primary focus was on supporting the cell manufacturing re-rollout, the benefits extended well beyond any single project.

"The experience was a masterclass in curiosity meeting continuous improvement, allowing both teams to literally and figuratively 'walk in each other's shoes.' From this specific shadowing experience, the most valuable lesson I learned was how our changes impact our partners. It was a powerful lesson in empathy and broadened my understanding of how interconnected our roles are across the company," said Haley Buckley, Manager, Production Operations.

Over the course of several weeks, team members temporarily swapped spaces, trading office time for hands-on experience on the production floor and vice versa. For a full day, scheduling team members shadowed their operations colleagues, observing the fine details of packaging lines, participating in team meetings, and getting face time with on-site personnel. The reverse also happened, allowing operations team members to sit with schedulers and understand the intricacies behind production planning.

"Although our two roles work toward the same end goal, they're very different. It was interesting to see just how complex the production process is and the types of challenges that can arise. It's not as simple as setting things up and hitting 'start.' Operations constantly must adapt as new issues come up, all while managing staffing, equipment, and other variables. It was eye-opening and gave me a new level of appreciation and respect for the work they do. It's a tough job," said Monique Ordonez, Analyst, Supply Chain.

"Something unexpected I experienced while job shadowing was realizing how different assumptions can be from actual understanding. Before shadowing, I tended to make quick judgments about what other departments were doing, and at times, I was inclined to assign blame. However, by learning more about their processes firsthand, my perspective changed significantly. I became much more empathetic and understanding of the challenges they face, which has positively influenced how I collaborate with them moving forward," said Bernard Filic, Manager, Packing Operations.

As teams peel back the curtain on each other's day-to-day realities, they're discovering that the power of collaboration lies in understanding - not just what others do, but why they do it. With renewed respect and fresh insight, these supply chain partners are now better equipped to tackle challenges and innovate together.

At Mary Kay, this kind of cross-team learning is more than a one-off; it's a model for building a more agile, connected, and high-performing organization.

To learn more about corporate jobs at Mary Kay in the U.S.A., please visit us at Mary Kay Careers.

Did You Know:

• Mary Kay's state-of-the-art Richard R. Rogers (R3) global Manufacturing/Research & Development Center is located in Lewisville, Texas, and has a production capacity of up to 1.1 million products per day.
• 57% of products manufactured at R3 are exported to Mary Kay's international markets.
• The 453,00 square-foot facility boasts 20 product-packaging lines and 21 processing vessels and mixing tanks.
• Renewable energy powers 100% of our R3 manufacturing facility.

From Observation to Optimization: The Impact of Job Shadowing & Cross Training on Supply Chain

Benefits for Operations Teams

• Improved Process Understanding: Shadowing helps operations staff see how their decisions impact production on the floor, leading to more informed and practical process improvements.
• Enhanced Communication: It fosters better communication between frontline workers and operations managers by building empathy and shared context.
• Problem-Solving Insight: Observing real-time challenges helps operations teams identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, or safety concerns that may not be visible in reports or dashboards.

Benefits for Scheduling Teams

• Realistic Time Estimates: By seeing how long tasks take, schedulers can create more accurate and achievable production schedules.
• Better Resource Allocation: Shadowing reveals how labor, equipment, and materials are used, helping schedulers optimize resource planning.
• Stronger Collaboration: It builds trust and understanding between schedulers and production teams, reducing friction and improving responsiveness to changes.