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Lean
Tip #1816 – When it Comes to Improvement Think Small
Many
companies today are only looking for the, “BIG WINS” when it comes to
improvements. While big wins are always nice, they really aren’t going to be
able to happen very often. A company that identifies small areas of improvement
and implements them frequently is going to make much more progress over time
than one that ignores the small things and only focuses on bigger issues.
Lean
Tip #1817 - Empower Employees
Good
managers are an invaluable part of having a facility that engages in continuous
improvement. This is because good managers know that it is often going to be
the employees who come up with the next great improvement idea. Employees
perform their jobs all day everyday so it is no surprise that they will be the
ones to find problems and hopefully the solutions to them.
Empowering
employees to take steps toward improvement can be very helpful. Having a
process by which they go through the PDCA cycle with as little interference
from management as possible can be very helpful. Of course, for some changes
manager involvement and approval will be necessary, but putting as few
obstacles in the way as possible will result in much more improvement.
Lean
Tip #1818 - Engage the Full Team to Find Improvement Opportunities
Continuous
improvement in a facility is almost never going to be made by a single person.
This is why you need to have the entire team involved. This starts with the CEO
and leadership team and goes all the way to the front line employees. By
creating a teamwork environment where everyone is working together to ensure
ongoing improvement you will be much more successful in the long run.
Even
when employees propose an unrealistic idea it should still be seen as a
positive step. Taking all ideas seriously and trying to find ways to implement
them if practical can allow employees to have the confidence in the management
team that they need to want to bring new ideas up to the team.
Lean
Tip #1819 - Put Yourself in Your Customer’s Shoes.
To
be a success, your kaizen must improve things from the point of view of the
customer. Many people make the mistake of improving a process from their own
point of view from within their own organizational silo. If your kaizen doesn’t improve things from
the perspective of the customer then any improvement is an illusion. In fact a good kaizen may result in the work
of an individual team getting harder rather than easier. This is fine as long as the value stream of
the whole process is improved and the value flows better and in more efficient
ways to the customer from a whole of business perspective.
Lean
Tip #1820 - Kaizen What’s Important, Not What’s Easy
Don’t
just target the low hanging fruit. You
want to make sure that your kaizen is important to the business. Doing something important means that you will
have no problem motivating people to be involved and do a good job. We find work teams are easily tempted to do
something easy so that they can be surer of a result.
If
the Kaizen didn’t deliver a result that made a real difference, people will
wonder what was the point. Of course if
you are lucky enough to have something that is both important and easy to work
on then go for it.
Lean
Tip #1821 - Focus on Collaboration & Working Together
Collaboration
is one of the most important things for businesses to focus on improving, as it
can help to improve ideas, cut down on wasted time and — yes — improve employee
engagement. It may seem like a lofty goal if your employees tend to stick to
themselves, but it doesn't have to be at all.
Lean
Tip #1822 - Let Your Employees Focus on What They Do Best
Employees
want to know that the work they're doing is being appreciated and meaningful
... and if they do, they will be engaged.
They
also want to be given the opportunity to shine, which means they have to have
the ability to do what they do best as often as possible. The biggest mistake
that a manager can make is assigning tasks to those who work under them that
simply don't match their skills ... which is something that can not only lead
to poor performance, but will no doubt have a negative impact on employee
engagement.
If
you want your employees to stay as engaged as possible, you have to allow them
to focus on their skills.
Lean
Tip #1823 - Allow Time During the Day for Personal Enrichment & Development
The
workday can be long at times, and it can be difficult for some employees to get
the time they need to work on personal enrichment.
Most
people want to learn something! So give them time to learn it and better
themselves.
The
weekend is only so long, and many people are exhausted at the end of the
workday. If you want to improve engagement levels, you may want to allow time
throughout the day for people explore something new.
Each
day, allow your employees to take a half hour or so to work on something
they're passionate about, even if it isn't work-related. It may seem as if
you're losing time doing this, but in the end, you'll actually be making the
environment more comfortable for you employees, which will lead to a more
engaged staff.
Lean
Tip #1824 – Recognize and Encourage Innovation
You
might have heard some pretty inspiring ideas around the office. What about that
project that came together so well and had some amazing improvements that no
one initially thought of? Find out who came up with that idea. Give them a
friendly “Good job!” or recognize them publicly for going the extra mile.
Lean
Tip #1825 - Connect Employees to the Greater Good.
When
employees feel connected to the company mission or like their work is
contributing to a goal that is greater than profits, they feel like their work
has purpose. A sense of meaning is
priceless and costs nothing for an employer to cultivate.
Lean
Tip #1826 - Be Clear on the Metrics for Success.
Success
should not be fuzzy. When your people understand the size of the prize and how
their contributions matter, they are more motivated to achieve the desired
results. Everyone should be visualizing the same thing, and they should be in
lockstep on how to achieve it. You should regularly report on organizational
progress toward the defined targets. It’s also critical to make those targets
clear during the rollout of the changes and new strategy.
Lean
Tip #1827 - Celebrate Early Wins.
As
the change takes hold, you will have some successes you’ll want to replicate
quickly (both at an organizational and individual level). To do that, capture
those successes and communicate them broadly. Convert the early wins, no matter
how small, into success stories people can understand. These stories let people
know what you want more of in the organization and allow others to reflect on
whether they could do anything similar. These stories also reinforce that small
contributions really do matter.
Lean
Tip #1828 - Focus on Managers During the Transformation
Managers
are critical to keeping employees engaged and productive and can be
instrumental in helping leaders manage change. Managers are also,
unfortunately, the most overlooked group in an organization when it comes to
developing the skills that make the difference between change failure and
success. These include communicating, interpersonal skills, team building and
coaching. If managers can’t operationalize the desired changes, then the total
investment and effort will be sub-optimized. Managers must understand the
strategy and then translate it in a way that is relevant for each employee.
Lean
Tip #1829 - Keep a Positive Attitude.
Your
attitude as a manager or supervisor will be a major factor in determining what
type of climate is exhibited by your employees. Your attitude is the one thing
that keeps you in control. Change can be stressful and confusing. Try to remain
upbeat, positive, and enthusiastic. Foster motivation in others. During times
of transition and change, try to compensate your employees for their extra
effort. Last, try to instill organizational change as a personal challenge that
everyone can meet…with success!
Lean
Tip #1830 - Develop a Common “Change” Language and Tools
When
everyone knows the process for how change is communicated and implemented in
your organization, they won’t see change as so disruptive. People want to know
what’s being changed, how it impacts them, what they need to do, what to expect
overall, and who to turn to with questions. By using a common change language
and process across the organization (such as Six Sigma), you reduce anxiety and
make change more “normal.”
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