Every weekday at 7 a.m., the production staff at NOVO Health Services’ Nashville, TN, plant gather for a brief “huddle.” Floor managers lead the discussion that can address quality, safety or related issues, including recognition of staff achievements. Next comes 10 minutes of stretching exercises to limber up employees for that day’s shift.

General Manager Brett Wooden, a 30-year industry executive who’s also a U.S. Navy veteran, likens these meetings to the shipboard “muster” sessions that he experienced in the service. “I was in the military,” says Wooden. “So we called it a ‘muster.’ Right? You muster every morning and ...