A good friend of mine, a safety professional, often tells me that his effectiveness as an ESH professional at his organization is coming to an end. You see, the company he serves has seen a fantastic improvement and they are nearing a zero-injury state. In my friend’s mind, his usefulness to the business for which he works is extinguishing as they approach achieving sustaining zero injuries.
Many leaders worry that their lean implementation efforts will not be sustainable. Therefore, let’s review efforts that will likely lead to sustainability of lean initiatives over time. Our first goal out of the box is to be willing to take pleasure in watching the development of the lean enterprise as it unfolds.
Your task is to make an impact on the company’s office processes using lean tools and developing a lean culture, but where do you begin?
Shouting and arguing is no fun at all. One question that often leads to arguments between little kids is: “Who’s responsible for this mess?” This question is typically followed by little fingers accusingly pointing in different directions joined by shouting and arguing. I call this the “Blame Zone.”
The interesting thing about continuous improvement is it will work for anyone, anywhere, all the time. (Caution where and how you apply it, as I will allude to often, use extreme caution is you try to apply lean tools at home.) One of the lessons I have learned over the past decade is to be open to outside input and always keep filling up your lean tool chest.
Lean is a spirit of transformation done by people for people. Its foundation is built upon fixing the problem, not affixing the blame.
MAU Lean Manager Mike Boettcher discusses the foundation of lean and continuous improvement.
Wallflowers are outstanding in their own unassuming way and their contributions speak just as meaningfully as their noisier, more recognizable counterparts
In order to minimize waste and maximize customer value, it is imperative that businesses begin to run lean if they’re not doing so already. Aside from cost reduction, the principles of lean are meant to greatly improve companies from top to bottom. Lean is not a program or quick “cost cutting measure”; rather, a way of thinking that’s infiltrated manufacturing, healthcare, government, etc.
