Lean Roundup #171 – August, 2023

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of August 2023.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

The First Shingo Prize – Behind the Scene – Bruce Hamilton shares his experience from the first Shingo Prize 35 years ago.

 

Ten Truths Lean People Need to Embrace About Lean – Bob Emiliani shares 10 harsh truths about Lean that Lean Practitioners need to embrace for the tough road ahead on your Lean journey.

 

Implementing 5S in Your Company – John Knotts provides some telltale signs to look for to assess if you should implement 5S.

 

The Seven QC Tools, Part 4 – Pascal Dennis discusses the relation of the seven quality tools and process of reflection.

 

Continuous Improvement vs Lean: What's the Difference? – Maggie Millard explains the difference between continuous improvement and Lean manufacturing.

 

What's the Importance of Technology in Continuous Improvement? – Danielle Yoon says technology plays an increasingly vital role as a powerful enabler for continuous improvement initiatives.

 

When to Use Standards…and When Not – Christoph Roser talks about when standards are helpful, and when maybe they are not.

 

When a CEO Falls Down on Their Gemba Visit — The Leader Behaviors That Matter – Mark Graban shares insightful clip from Dr Sean Paul Teeling on leadership behaviors.

 

 

      

The 10 Rules of Continuous Improvement

The most successful companies are never satisfied with the status quo. They constantly have their eye on the next innovation, the next level of performance. They know the importance of continuous improvement in all areas of the business.

Even if things are going really well, people at successful organizations are looking at what could be improved upon so that they can perform better. They are finding ways to work smarter, not harder, in order to be more efficient and profitable. The most successful companies are always innovating and developing new ways to deliver top-notch quality to their customers.

But this kind of behavior doesn’t just happen. Sure, some people have a natural drive to keep improving their skills and the results they produce at work. But many people prefer to stay in their comfort zones, never questioning the way things are done.

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of identifying, analyzing, and making incremental improvements to systems, processes, products, or services. Its purpose is to drive efficiency, improve quality, and value delivery while minimizing waste, variation, and defects. The continual improvement process is driven by ongoing feedback, collaboration, and data.

Let’s look at 10 rules for effective continuous improvement:

1. Be Open Minded

An open mind leads to new possibilities. New possibilities lead to new thoughts and experiences. To have an open mind means being flexible and adaptive to new experiences and ideas.  Having an open mind doesn’t mean accepting everything as truth, but rather being open to new possibilities. New thoughts and experiences lead to growth.

2. Start with the 3 “Actual” Rule

Continuous improvement starts with the three “Actual” Rule.

        Go to the actual place where the process is performed.

        Talk to the actual people involved in the process and get the real facts.

        Observe and chart the actual process.

All too often, attempts are made to solve problems without knowing anything about or are not being familiar with a particular area or process -- resulting in a misdiagnosis or failed solution. Answers come from the floor, from the Gemba, where the condition occurs. You need to go to the real place and experience these conditions for yourself before being able to take the next steps.

3. Focus on Process Over People

The most successful organizations understand that the problem is not people failing to deliver, but that their organizational processes or systems need to be improved. If an organization really wants a continuous improvement effort focused on improving its business, it must celebrate the mistakes and errors that result from inadequate processes or systems so they can be analyzed and corrected. Enlightened organizations don’t look for someone to blame; they identify the problems that inevitably arise and encourage their people to expose these issues, rather than cover them up.

4. Don’t Seek Perfection, Try-storm

Don’t spend too much time talking about a solution, try it!! Try-storming encourages the rapid development and test of an idea rather than merely thinking about the possible solutions. It allows people to visualize, touch and further improve on an initial idea. It also models action rather than talk. Often in our desire to design the perfect Future State we forget that the best way to build a process that works is through the iterative process of trying, adjusting/correcting, and trying again.

The process is built on three basic principles:

• It is not important to create perfect solutions.
• Be action-oriented.
• Keep solutions simple.

5. Creativity Before Capital

Don’t substitute money for thinking. In other words, before spending money on a typical solution (buying equipment, hiring staff, working overtime), try using existing equipment and employees.

In reality, even creative solutions may require some investment. Yet, often that investment is quite small in comparison to more traditional approaches. As Lean practitioners, it is our job to minimize waste in all that we do – and that includes the cost associated with solutions.

6. Problems are Opportunities

The workplace is full of problems and we are expected to solve them. Problems often stir up the emotions of everyone involved. When a problem occurs, instead of first exploring how to get the problem to go away, first stop and ask yourself: What is the opportunity here? This is the key to innovative problem solving. It’s understanding that the problems you face are opportunities — no matter how frustrating they appear to be at first. Innovative thinking on how to solve a difficult problem begins when you view problems as opportunities — when you break the barriers of limited thinking that we all have.

7. Focus on the Root Cause, Not the Symptoms

It’s very easy to get caught up in the symptoms of the problem and most problems are incorrectly attempted by suppressing these symptoms. We should resist this temptation! When we encounter a symptom, it should serve as a prompt to dig deeper to get at the real root causes for an issue. There are a number of methods of root cause analysis, including failure mode analysis, fault tree analysis, and fishbone diagrams. For diagnosing performance issues, one of the simplest and most effective methods is the "5 Whys," which is attributed to Taiichi Ohno and his Toyota Production System. This technique simply requires us to ask why repeatedly until root causes are uncovered.

8. Rely on Data, Not Opinions

As the legendary engineer W. Edwards Deming put it, “Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” Without insight into data, people make decisions based on instinct, speculation, or prevalent theory. People are at risk of acting on biases or false assumptions. Now, data driven decision making involves collecting data, performing analysis, and basing decisions on insights derived from that analysis. This provides for accountability and transparency. Basing decisions on data allows the logic behind determinations to be transparent and provides stronger evidence to support those decisions. Data provides context and knowledge.

9. Practice Respect

Show respect” is perhaps the most valuable rule, as people are the goal, not simply the means to an end. Improvements are accomplished by people, not processes. Processes ought to be designed to support people in their accomplishment of specific objectives. Ultimately this means developing people to be who they can be. One tremendous side effect of that development is greatly increased capability in fulfilling their roles, which leads to greater efficiency in accomplishing improvement.

10. There is no destination on the road to improvement

Continuous improvement is a journey that never ends. There will always be a gap between where you are (current state) and where you would like to be (True North). Since there will always be a gap, there will always be an opportunity to improve. The road to continual improvement can be a rocky one with many ups and downs. Failure will occur. It’s ok, the purpose is learning, and we learn through experimentation. Trying new approaches, exploring new methods and testing new ideas for improving the various processes is exercise for the mind.

Adopting a culture of continuous improvement can benefit both you, your team and your business. Finding a suitable way to begin your never-ending quest toward it doesn’t need to keep you awake at night. Why don’t you start by implementing these 10 rules in order to set yourself up for all the benefits that come hand in hand with improving continuously!

Lean Quote: 5 ways To Develop Future Leaders in Your Organization

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"We need to foster curious minds with a desire to learn and a passion to discover new and better ways of doing things."   —  Simon Brown

Leadership development has become a necessary focus for any organization that wishes to separate itself from the pack and become established in markets that are always changing the rules.

Companies need to invest in leadership development, but more importantly, they need to make sure it’s part of their culture. There’s nothing wrong with a one-day seminar, but it’s not a leadership development plan. Creating a culture takes more than a single rah-rah meeting.

Creating an intentional strategy for developing employees is one of the most important things you can do as a leader to impact the culture of your organization. This is especially true for those you would categorize as future leaders.

If you want to be intentional about developing future leaders in your organization, here are a few keys to consider:

1. Communicate Your Vision to Employees

Every successful business has a vision. Maintain regular communication about the company’s vision and request your employees and other people to help you to achieve it. Sharing your business motives with your employees allows them to set their mission and the future leaders see their future in your company and work towards attaining it. Therefore, it is imperative to have a common goal with your employees. Keep them on track each day to ensure that they do not lose focus. Always remember that the future of leadership in your company is determined by the manner that you handle your current workers.

2. Show Employees You Trust Them

If you want to help employees develop, trust them to do their jobs by getting out of the way. Let them know what your expectations are by modeling the behavior you expect—show them you trust them. This not only lets employees know what they need to succeed and gives them greater ownership, but it also shows them that credibility and trust are important in your organization.

3. Use Job Rotation to Broaden Experience

Give your workers a chance to broaden their expertise by working in different parts of the company. This will allow you and them to discover both their strengths and the areas where they need additional training. It will also give them an appreciation of other roles that will be beneficial in managing others in those areas.

4. Create Coaching and Mentoring Opportunities

One of the best ways to develop future leaders is by having them learn directly from other successful leaders. Once you’ve identified candidates that could potentially be great leaders, match them up with a great leader to mentor them, coach them, and consistently provide feedback. A mentor can provide customized guidance that helps prepare junior employees to become more effective leaders in the future. Building these strong relationships early creates opportunities for open, honest lines of communication throughout the leadership development process.

5. Provide “Stretch” Assignments for Employees

Offer a chance for your employees to prove themselves while also cultivating new talents. Providing assignments that stretch them outside of their comfort zone will force them to learn to better manage stress and tap into their creativity and problem solving abilities. Even failure can provide valuable lessons that can better your team.

These are just a few of the ways organizations can develop leadership potential in the workplace. By keeping communication open, incorporating leadership into regular professional development, and giving emerging leaders opportunities to grow, organizations can begin to build their leadership pipelines from within.

Seven Leadership Principles That Will Get Results

Leadership principles give us ideas on how we can lead ourselves and our team to encourage high levels of performance and greater chances for learning and growth.

Here are just seven principles that will help you achieve more as a leader with your team. See if they could work for you:

Principle 1: Kindle Passion

People will work for money, but they’ll die for a cause. Strong leaders engage people’s hearts. They build ever-deeper passion and commitment.

Passion is the driving force that enables people to attain far more than they ever imagined. Without passion there is no drive to succeed. It is the fuel of the will, and everything you do as a leader must express your passion. Passion is contagious and is easily shared. Passion will bridge moments of weakness, and will drive you past your failures while reaching for your goals. Passion radiates from you and is easily detected by others.

Principle 2: Maintain Good Communication

Communication can make the difference between a highly engaged team and a highly disengaged team.

A leader’s ability to clearly articulate expectations, consistently communicate culture, and regularly exchange meaningful feedback with their team members will determine how well they are able to motivate employees.

And remember, listening is the most important part of this. Leaders who engage in active listening are able to build real connections with employees and develop an understanding of what they need to succeed.

Principle 3: Fosters Accountability

You can’t expect employees to take accountability for results if they aren’t being given the clarity they need to take ownership and do great work. When leaders provide this clarity through frequent feedback, they are demonstrating their own accountability for expectation-setting and inspiring their employees to hold themselves accountable for meeting expectations.

Rather than punishing employees for not achieving expected results, focus on ensuring there is clarity in job expectations, clearly communicate the organization’s goals and the role employees play in achieving those goals, and don’t just react when teams fall short of expectations—make sure you are giving employees recognition when they do achieve the expected results.

Principle 4: Cultivate an Improvement Mindset

Leaders should never stop growing. No matter how well a leader thinks they are leading, they should always strive to do better. They should also learn to view mistakes as opportunities for growth and encourage employees to do the same. 

When leaders treat mistakes as learning opportunities, they are demonstrating their capacity for growth and helping their employees develop an improvement mindset that keeps them always moving forward.

Cultivating an improvement mindset not only helps leaders hone their leadership skills, but also inspires their team members to continuously develop their skills when they model this principle. Leaders can also help their teams continually improve by providing regular constructive feedback and coaching and mentoring employees.

Principle 5: Encourage Collaboration

When you have an inclusive team of highly engaged employees, it can achieve great things through collaborative efforts, but it’s important for leaders to create a harmonious work environment where team members work well together for this to happen.

Leaders who encourage collaboration and give their teams the tools they need to work together successfully are helping their employees learn the true meaning of teamwork. This means ensuring there’s no place for toxic behaviors within the organization. 

Encouraging employees to work together keeps engagement and trust high and can lead to work environments where high performance is the norm. It can also keep employees from working in silos.

Principle 6: Set the Example

Your actions as a leader speak much louder than your all company meetings, corporate communications, or motivational speeches at team meetings. This is why it is a fundamental principle that leaders walk the talk of vision, values, and purpose if they are to maintain the trust, respect, and credibility of those they are attempting to lead.

Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

Principle 7: Adaptability

Great leaders help their teams thrive, even during difficult times, and even during times of change. As constant change is the only thing any of us can be sure of in the business world, adaptability plays a significant role in determining how successful an organization will be in the future.

Agility in adapting helps us not only survive, but flourish in times of change. Leaders are better able to do this and help their teams do this when they bring employees into the process because it provides them with a variety of viewpoints and approaches to adapting.

When leaders embrace change and demonstrate an ability to adapt quickly, but also in an intentional way that doesn’t lose sight of long-term goals, it can help employees feel a much needed sense of stability in potentially challenging times and can help them adapt more easily.

The best way I know how to consistently exceed expectations for your customers, employees, or investors is to do the things I’ve talked about. Lead, stay focused on what you and your organization do best, set high standards, empower others, give others a reason to believe deeply in what you and they are doing, never compromise your standards, and give more than expected.

Lean Tips Edition #208 (#3331 - #3345)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #3331 – Require Management to Set a Strong Example

When employees are told they are supposed to follow the standards which have been laid out for them, only to find that their managers are not doing the same it can be very discouraging. The leadership team should always be the examples which other people can follow, not a source of trouble for the lean team. Managers at every level should be required to follow the standard and also enforce the same on their teams throughout the company.

Lean Tip #3332 – Create an Implementation Plan with Milestones

Implementation can be a difficult time for any strategy which is why it should be properly planned out. Having a written plan with set milestones is the best way to get the results you’re looking for. When the plan is written and easy to understand it is much easier for everyone at all levels to follow properly. While creating the plan make sure to include all the key teams which will be needed during the implementation process so they can give their input and have a good understanding of how everything works throughout the process.

Lean Tip #3333 – Show, Don’t Tell What The Ideal Workplace Should Look Like

Most people are visual learners by trait. Use visual aids to help the staff understand what your definition of a clean and organized workstation looks like. Before and after pictures can help show a pattern of progression and track success. Place the before pictures outside the workspace so workers can visually track progression.

Lean Tip #3334 – Clearly Define Your Expectations

Every employee should have specific roles that they are expected to fill within the system. These expectations should be clearly defined within each and every job description. Consistently emphasize the importance of completing these tasks and why they are important to the overall success of the company. Your leaders should be able to provide both positive feedback and constructive feedback if certain expectations are not met.

Lean Tip #3335 – Reward Excellence

Take the time to reward your staff or teams that are outperforming. This not a means of rewarding employees for doing their job, but rather pointing out those that go above and beyond the level of standards you layout. As you conduct your monthly audits remember it is important to recognize achievements. Friendly competition and recognition is a powerful tool for improvement.

Lean Tip #3336 – Leave Your Door Open To Be More Accessible

The times when you shut your office door to conduct sensitive business or ensure privacy should be the exception rather than the rule. If you spend most of your time behind closed doors, your staff isn't going to feel a connection with you. Instead, they'll feel alienated and cut off. Even if it means more distractions due to people stopping by to say hello or ask questions, try to keep your office door open whenever possible.

Lean Tip #3337 – Talk to Your Staff If You Want Them to Approach You

Take an interest in your employees beyond just the work they do. Getting to know your staff builds trusting relationships. You don't have to get deeply involved in workers' personal lives, but you should know about their families, interests and hobbies. A simple "Good morning, how was your weekend?" can work wonders in making an employee feel that you care about them. As smart managers know, employees who feel liked and respected are more likely to be productive and enthusiastic workers.

Lean Tip #3338 – Don't Punish the Messenger

If you're the kind of boss who only wants to hear good news, your employees won't tell you everything you need to know-and that will mean unpleasant surprises down the road. Let your staff know they can come to you with potential problems or suggestions on how to improve operations. Recognize that since they're the ones on the "front lines" of your business, they may have better insights than you do into what is really going on.

Lean Tip #3339 – Speak Openly and Honestly With Others

If you want to become an approachable manager, a crucial step is to start speaking openly and honestly with others. It means being straightforward and honest about your intentions and willing to listen to others’ perspectives. Be responsive, show openness to feedback, and communicate openly about what you are doing and why so that everyone in your team feels engaged and invested in your work. Finally, while being honest, respect others’ time and effort.

Lean Tip #3340 – Seek Feedback From Your Team and Others Around You

To be an approachable manager, you need to seek feedback from your team and others around you constantly. It will help you understand the areas in which you need to improve and take the necessary measures to improve your relationship and communication skills.

By getting feedback from various sources, you will be able to understand the needs of your team better and cater to them accordingly. However, take proper note of your feedback, as it can be a valuable tool in your professional arsenal. If handled properly, feedback can help drive continuous improvement and development in your managerial skills.

Lean Tip #3341 – Create an Image of Change

Create an image of the benefits of change and show your audience why taking action is necessary. You can do this through a scenario planning framework. Drawing the best-case scenario, worst-case scenario and realistic scenario can allow your team to react and buy into your vision. You may also use case studies to help your audience visualize what you are working to achieve.

Lean Tip #3342 – Show the Benefits of Your Plan

Showing how the plan is going to help the organization can allow your team to make mental calculations of whether the idea is worth buying into. Sometimes, the perceived loss of current benefits can make some people slow to accept change. If you show them the positives of the change, they may be more likely to be accepting of your plan.

Lean Tip #3343 – Lead Your Team by Example

It can be easier to get buy-in from a team if you lead by example. If an idea requires changes of staff, first make the changes yourself to show team members you are prepared to do what you're asking them to do. This can give them an idea of what you're asking of them as well as encourage them to trust you.

Lean Tip #3344 – Be Aware of Emotions

Getting buy-in is an interpersonal activity, often with high stakes involved. Selling your vision is likely to stir emotions such as passion and anger, which, if appropriately directed, may improve your chances of securing a commitment from others. To be successful in getting buy-in, you can pay attention to your audience's emotions while also maintaining your own emotions.

Lean Tip #3345 – Leverage Feedback

Use the team's feedback to improve the original idea. People may be more likely to commit to action if they feel their ideas are part of the plan. Not all feedback may become part of the plan, but it is vital to acknowledge everyone who contributed by saying "our plan." The way you communicate can help show others that the vision is not from an individual, but is the product of a team effort.

Lean Quote: Know Yourself

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"The key to an ideal workplace, in one hyphenated word, is this: self-awareness."   —  Neil Blumenthal

Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection. This is a critical tool to help you reach higher levels of job satisfaction, become a better leader, improve relationships with colleagues, and manage your emotions better. It’s also positively correlated with higher levels of overall happiness.

There are many ways to build and practice self-awareness, but here are some of the most effective:

1. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness allows you to be present with yourself and observe your thoughts in a non-judgmental way. What better way to become self-aware than focusing, nonjudgmentally, on you?

Mindfulness forces you to focus on yourself on purpose, in the present moment. Next time you’re feeling frustrated at work, use mindfulness to check-in with yourself: what thoughts are going through your mind? How are you feeling? Simply being present enough to acknowledge your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, will help you become more acquainted and better at recognizing them properly within yourself.

2. Make Time to Reflect

Reflecting can be done in multiple ways and is customizable to the person reflecting, but the important thing is to go over your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to see where you met your standards, where you failed them, and where you could improve.

You can also reflect on your standards themselves to see if they are good ones for you to hold yourself to. You can try writing in a journal, talking out loud, or simply sitting quietly and thinking, whatever helps you to reflect on yourself.

3. Become a Better Listener, and Ask for Feedback

When you learn how to listen to your friends, colleagues, and managers without evaluating or judging them, you’ll become more empathetic and understand people better. Listening, by the way, isn’t the same as hearing -- like mindfulness, the practice of listening takes purpose and control. Listening to the important people in your life should give you a true sense of how they perceive you.

You can translate those listening skills to yourself, too, and become better at understanding your own thoughts and emotions. Listening to others and yourself is critical to becoming self-aware.

Additionally, it's important to ask for feedback from the people you work with, or lead. It’s impossible to have true, complete self-awareness, if you only turn inwards -- gaining different perspectives on who you are will help you see a truer, more complete picture.

Developing self-awareness might feel uncomfortable at first as you get used to actively seeking critical feedback and viewing yourself from an objective standpoint. However, the impact it can have on your professional relationships, the productivity of your team and the profitability of your company are undeniable.

Empower Your Employees With the Right Mindset

Empowerment. It’s a word often said, a goal, a value, a hallmark of modern leadership. Yet it may be one of those leadership principles that can be misunderstood and difficult to put into action. Especially, when we are talking about empowerment at work.

Create an empowering environment by fostering trust and respect. An empowering leader is a wise teammate. They create the space where great work gets done. To become a teammate, leaders must truly know your team members, their goals, and their strengths. They must understand their sense of purpose and work to support them in achieving it.

For employees to be empowered, they must be part of the conversation. Employees must participate in discussions on achieving current goals and setting new goals. Doing so will enable them to develop a personal stake in these goals and successfully fulfill them. Employees should also be encouraged to participate in shaping new ideas and strategies.

By being part of big-picture conversations, employees feel worthy and valuable to the team's success.

Align individuals to organizational goals. An organization still has a “why” that drives the work and value of the organization. Empowerment derives from having relevant information.

To bolster empowerment at work, ensure team members understand the goals of the organization. Enable them to connect their contributions to these goals. Show them how and why their work matters.

Provide feedback so they will know when they have been successful. Aligning individual and organizational goals means coaching team members to unleash their strengths in service of organizational goals.

Redefine accountability. Individual accountability is at the core of empowerment, but how we define it is important. 

Accountability here means a commitment to achieving organizational goals. But it also allows for risk-taking and new approaches that might lead to temporary setbacks and failures. Accountability includes supporting team members in learning from these moments. It means refocusing their efforts towards the goals using new knowledge and experience.

Practice self-awareness. A leader may discover she feels uncomfortable with releasing power to others.  Feelings like “what if they get it wrong?” or “I don’t feel like I’m adding any value” can be challenging for leaders who may then inadvertently act in a disempowering way.  Empowering leaders know themselves well. They keep tabs on their inner dialogue to guard against disempowering actions.

Employee empowerment in the workplace is the key to unlocking the full potential of your organization. Empowered employees are more productive, engaged, and committed to achieving their goals. In addition, they feel valued and respected, which creates a better work environment for everyone. To create a workplace empowerment culture, you need to start by clarifying roles and responsibilities, providing necessary resources, delegating authority effectively, and cultivating a flexible work environment.