Lean Evolution: Experiencing the Effects of Lean

Lean Evolution: Experiencing the Effects of Lean

Over the last year I have worked with a client on introducing, developing and securing Lean Management on various locations in the Netherlands and abroad. Recently, a more formal evaluation with top management and the management of the involved locations took place. It’s always interesting then, to hear how Lean Management is actually experienced across an organization. Through this blog post I thought it would be nice to share some of these experiences with my readers. Lean Management is sometimes interpreted as only a technique, although I think that in the end it involves a complete turnaround in the way people think and act with consequences for the associates, managers, the mutual relations and collaboration, processes and problem-solving, performance and customers. (more…)

January 9, 2012 0

Stop Leaning Supportive Functions

Stop Leaning Supportive Functions

Regularly, people ask me how Lean can help in improving a company’s functional support departments. In many cases organizations already have begun introducing Lean thinking in these functions and are teams progressing with their 5S efforts, setting up team performance boards and introducing daily huddles around these, and initiating improvement teams. Well done! But I’m always left with a feeling that these companies are missing the point of becoming a truly Lean organization. Doesn’t Lean start with customer value? And the value stream that provides this value? Plus the teams that work in the value stream making it all happen? I think we should stop applying Lean in this way to these support functions, and that we should go back to the basics: customer value, value stream and autonomous teams! (more…)

December 5, 2011 0

The Failing “Undercover Boss”

The Failing “Undercover Boss”

The “Undercover Boss” which is also televised in the Netherlands is an interesting show: the managing director or CEO of an organization goes onto the shop floor in disguise to find out what actually is going on in his or her organization. And in some matters the “undercover boss” immediately takes action. What a feeling of power that must give… At the end of the show the surprised associates meet with the real person behind the person in disguise: their boss. By the way, it is interesting to see that even without disguise, the boss is not always recognized… The “undercover boss” then solves the problems that were surfaced and rewards the employees for their efforts. All very desirable and worthwhile, but the question that arises is of course: “Why in fact only in such a TV show?” (more…)

September 30, 2011 0

Seeing with a Mission: the Visual isn’t the Solution

Seeing with a Mission: the Visual isn’t the Solution

Ah, but we can do that as well! We can see the solution in front of our eyes – we think – and we can just copy that what we have seen! Back in our own organization we’re ready to go and clean up our mess, change our lay out, paint some nicely colored lines on the floor, put some whiteboards up, put some markings on our machines, and install some of these fancy heijunka-boards and kanban-launchers, and off we go! Easy! Or is it really? After a while it seems that our results are lagging behind what management expected from all this Lean stuff. And that it doesn’t “feel” the way it felt while we were visiting that other company. It is because in fact, that what you can see, the visual, isn’t the solution. It’s only a symptom… (more…)

August 10, 2011 0

Resp-Act, for a Trust-Based Lean Organization

Resp-Act, for a Trust-Based Lean Organization

Respect is the foundation for trust and productive collaboration between team members, team members and their leaders, as well as between teams and organizations. However, I sometimes feel that respect and trust are seen as a non-tangible concept that should be discussed between people and when done, “we’ll see whether it improves”. An open atmosphere is being created to enable people to put their concerns on the table, on why they feel trust among the team is lacking. But generally these meetings do not seem to be very productive in building trust, as no action is being built in. I always feel that Lean, however, can often provide the concrete vehicles, processes and behavior that can actually build trust through what I call resp-act… (more…)

July 10, 2011 0

5x Why? It Seems so Simple

5x Why? It Seems so Simple

Building upon the earlier posts about autonomy en PDSA, I automatically tumble upon a well-known, but often — during the Study phase of PDSA — ineffectively used technique: 5x why? A technique that has to prevent that a team jumps to conclusions too early and that leads to a productive and structural solution to the problem by means of a more thorough problem and root cause analysis. But it takes more than just asking five times “why?” to the team… (more…)

June 6, 2011 0

The Broken PDSA Cycle

The Broken PDSA Cycle

Continual improvement according to the PDSA cycle brings scientific thinking to the team level. In my earlier blog post I have highlighted the importance of autonomy for continual improvement. Most important conclusion there was that a team should have the right competencies and skill levels to be able to be truly responsible for their work and the improvement thereof. But to be an autonomous team, more comes into play. True autonomy also implies that the PDSA cycle — in most cases — can be fully completed within and by the team. And this is where I see many issues. In many cases, the PDSA cycle seems to be broken… (more…)

April 27, 2011 0

Autonomy: Condition for Continual Improvement

Autonomy: Condition for Continual Improvement

Continual improvement does not happen just like that. To create an organization that is truly able to continuously improve, a number of conditions have to be met. First, problems should be detectable. Second, you should feel intrinsically responsible for it as it compromises the purpose of the team. Third, you should be allowed to act. And last, but certainly not least: you and your team should dispose of the required competencies, skills, means and time to actually be able to eliminate the problem and build a better standard. Autonomy therefore is key in Lean. (more…)

March 22, 2011 0

The Trust Formula: T = (C x I) / R

The Trust Formula: T = (C x I) / R

Lean transformations typically require interventions on both content (technical) and cultural aspects (attitude and behavior) and these together initiate and drive the required change. When assisting clients on their Lean journeys, my focus is on this triangle of content, culture and change. However, this change does not happen just because you intend it. As many have learned, people don’t change because you want them to change. But they don’t dislike change either. They just don’t like being changed. For a successful and sustainable Lean transformation, Trust (T) needs to be built between leadership, managers and the workforce, but also between any support staff or consultant and line management. Trust is required in order to be accepted as leader, coach or Lean guide. (more…)

January 20, 2010 0

True Lean or Over-Decorated Christmas Trees?

True Lean or Over-Decorated Christmas Trees?

Lean is not new. Many have — in one way or another — been confronted with the Lean philosophy, its tools and its potentially significant results. Maybe you yourself as well have read a book, attended a conference, or maybe even enjoyed training. And more and more have actually started with Lean initiatives in a pilot area or even across their whole business.

In the social media and professional sites and journals as well, Lean gets more and more attention. When you read many of the cases, you get the impression that there’s quite some sorting, setting in order, shining, standardizing and sustaining going on in our workplaces nowadays. Apparently we are creating more and more clean and organized work areas and offices. But what, in fact, is the essence of all this? Why all the labels and markings on the floor? (more…)

December 7, 2009 0

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