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Lean Roadmap Newsletter
Becoming a World Class Enterprise
11th Edition |
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Free Webinar!
"Introduction to Policy Deployment & Lean Implementation Planning" |
The most powerful Lean activity your organization will ever accomplish!!
Join us for a free Webinar on July 21st.
This webinar covers the 10 Step Roadmap to Successful Policy Deployment using Lean as a System.
Title: Introduction to Policy Deployment & Lean Implementation Planning
Date: Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer |
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Greetings!
In this edition, WCM Associates is introducing a new series:
This series is intended to provide tools, tips, ideas, and coaching for leaders whose organizations are implementing Lean as their operating system.
Also in this edition, we continue our discussion on How to Prevent Lean Implementation Failures - 10 Reasons Why Failures Occur. We will discuss, from the least critical (Reason #10), to most critical/fatal (Reason #1) why Lean implementation failures occur. Today we will discuss Reason #7:
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The Lean Leader Coach Introduction |
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This series is intended to provide tools, tips, ideas, and coaching for leaders whose organizations are implementing Lean as their operating system.
by Mattie Watson |
Lean, as a way of conducting business, requires a change in Leadership style - from directing activity and controlling outcomes to encouraging participation and providing coaching. For many of us, this represents a 180° change from the style we have experienced, copied, perfected, and been rewarded for (promotions, raises) during our careers. However, this traditional leadership style does not support a Lean environment because it does not capitalize on the most critical component for a successful implementation - participation and buy-in from the entire workforce.
I remember clearly my first day working in a factory. My new supervisor's first words to me after telling me his name were, "There are three ways to do things - the right way, the wrong way, and our way. Your job is to keep your mouth shut until you know how we do things around here. Any questions?" (At the time I was thankful I could answer the question with a silent shake of the head.) While that incident occurred in the 1970's, it could just as easily have happened last week at any number of companies we have encountered. Perhaps many of you can relate a similar experience from your working careers. If so, what kind of an effect did it have on you? Did it encourage you to make suggestions or even have ideas? If that was your early experience, how did you react the first time a supervisor or manager did ask for your opinion? Did you jump at the opportunity or question motives?
Chances are many of the folks in your organization have had similar experiences. These events may not have even happened at your company but the effect is still the same - a withholding of ideas, support and participation. This can mean the end of your Lean implementation unless you take specific and definitive action to counteract the effects of the negative experiences.
That is the purpose of these articles. In the coming issues, we will relate common "old-school" leadership behaviors and suggest some alternate approaches that will support the development of a Lean thinking workforce. These ideas are meant to challenge your thinking and help you change behavior. This may not be easy but it will be beneficial to your personal development and the success of your organization.
If you have specific questions or issues that you would like addressed in future issues, please send them to info@wcmfg.com and reference Lean Leader Coach in the subject line. We would also enjoy hearing about approaches that may have jump-started or supported Lean in your organization.
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REASON #7 - Lack of Lean Leadership |
The organization's Leadership Team must lead the way to becoming a World Class Organization.
by Larry Rubrich
"Leadership is in the eyes of other people;
it is they who proclaim you as a leader."
Carrie Gilstrap
Hewlett-Packard
Managerial Leadership
American business management faces many new challenges operating in the global economy of the 21st Century. Lean, when it is coupled with Policy Deployment, gives companies a powerful "system" for overcoming these challenges. The development of this powerful system starts with the organization's Leadership Team.
Unfortunately, many management teams (actually they are Leadership Teams who are not leading!) are still running their organizations with a traditional business management style (as Mattie noted in the above article). This traditional style does not support a Lean environment because it does not capitalize on the most critical component for a successful implementation of Policy Deployment and Lean as a System - participation and buy-in from the entire workforce.
"Leadership is ultimately about creating
a way for people to contribute to making
something extraordinary happen."
Alan Keith
Genentech
Our experience with American management has provided us with a list of missing "Leadership Team" behaviors that are present in many organizations. This list includes:
- Developing a "picture" of what the organization must look like at some point in the future
- Management modeling of the behaviors that will support the vision/mission of the organization and the development of a "positive" company culture
- Developing great two-way communication throughout the organization
- Empowering the entire workforce so they can act to create the picture of the future
Management modeling of required behaviors is the topic we will discuss here.
The DuPont Company, considered by many to have World Class levels of safety in their facilities, uses the following expression to train its management people on safety, and to manage their facilities:
"You will achieve the level of safety
that you demonstrate you want to achieve!"
This DuPont expression applies to DuPont managers walking the safety talk, being the leaders, models, and examples of good safety practices.
We love this expression because not only do we believe it to be true for safety as DuPont has proven, but it also applies to all the Lean plans, concepts, tools, and culture necessary to become a World Class Enterprise (WCE).
You will achieve the level of 5S, quality, productivity, teamwork (insert your desired improvement activity here) that you demonstrate you want to achieve!
It's not about telling the team what you want done - it's about showing them what you want done!
Lack of Lean Leadership - Three Real Life Examples
1) At the end of a report out session for a 5S Kaizen event, the 5S team politely asked if upper management people could be involved in the next 5S event. In his office after the event, the general manager's comment to this request is "I'm not helping those damn people clean up their mess." Net result: end of the WCE implementation (although it took about 6 months to die).
2) A small company trains all of its associates in 5S activities. A week later several people notice a supervisor walk by/over some trash on the floor, not stopping to pick it up. Net result: 5S was designated by the shop floor associates as another "program of the month," which doomed it to failure.
3) Several years ago we were helping a small organization (< 100 people) implement Lean. We spent extra time working with the Leadership Team because in our initial organizational assessment, lack of trust in the Leadership Team came out in our interviews with company associates. The company associates wanted to help improve the company, but were hesitant to believe the Leadership Team was actually prepared to start "doing things differently." Presented with a summary of the assessment concerns, the Leadership Team assured us that they were prepared to follow the organization's new codes of conduct so the necessary culture change would be supported. This was related to all the company associates in a Lean Kick-off meeting.
Several months later at Christmas time, the president of the organization wanted to send some wine across state lines to a colleague via UPS. The shipping clerk informed the president that this was illegal (at the time). The president told the shipping clerk to lie and send it anyway. Within 20 minutes, this story spread throughout the entire facility reinforcing the workforce's lack of trust in the Leadership Team. The Lean implementation died and years later it is still dead.
Requirement for a Full Time WCE Facilitator
For companies larger than 100 people, a full time WCE facilitator is required. The WCE facilitator is the in-house "Lean expert." They do all the WCE training and are the "go to" person for kaizen event facilitation, questions, problems, and direction. Companies usually start this journey using outside consultants, which is appropriate, although the company should designate and begin the development of their own expert (consultant) on day one. Becoming dependent on outside consultants will not make you World Class. After the WCE launch process in underway (first 6-9 months), consultants should only be used in a monthly or quarterly initiative reviews.
For companies larger than 100 people, trying to implement WCE with a part-time facilitator does not work. Part-time becomes no-time. In smaller companies part-time works because everyone successfully wears multiple "hats" and the WCE workload is less.
The WCE Facilitator
A WCE facilitator is required for both the ongoing continuous improvement efforts and kaizen events. The facilitator is a necessary source of information, which keeps the improvement efforts guided in the desired direction. This person facilitates but does not take responsibility for the improvement effort. The people who work in the improvement area must do that.
Ideally, as with any facilitator, this should be someone who is respected and trusted by everyone in the facility and has a strong desire to be a facilitator. This person should have excellent people skills and training skills, as well as kaizen event experience.
Facilitator Responsibilities
This person facilitates communication and cooperation across cross-functional boundaries and is the resource for the following activities:
- Training - Provides a review of improvement information that the event team needs to make at the work site (for example, Setup Reduction or Kanbans). Updates the teams with new techniques or technology.
- Team developer - Clarifies team roles, goals, and decision processes. Builds team consensus. Helps teams overcome dispute and discipline problems from within and from outside the team. Keeps all lines of communication open.
- Coach/adviser - Helps the teams stay focused and on track. Makes sure the teams are measuring their own performance.
- Cheerleader - Sparks synergy and encourages the teams to be creative.
In addition, for some length of time after a kaizen event has been completed, the facilitator follows up with the event area to make sure there are no event-related problems and that no backsliding has occurred. A highly people-skilled, knowledgeable, and organized facilitator is a prerequisite to successful WCE improvement activities.
In the company organization or reporting structure, the WCE facilitator should report as least dotted line to the top manager in the facility.
Summary
When Managerial Leadership is combined with both Policy Deployment & Lean Implementation Planning, and a skilled WCE Facilitator, the organization's goals are obtainable and World Class status is within reach.
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Policy Deployment
The Most Powerful Lean Activity Your Organization Will Ever Accomplish! |
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Don't forget to register for our free webinar!
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Upcoming Lean Events & Activities
Registration is Required (unless noted, all activities are $15) |
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Concurrent Sessions:
August 4th - Introduction to Lean - South Suburban College (IL), Oak Forest Campus, 9-11 am
August 4th - Policy Deployment & Lean Implementation Planning - South Suburban College (IL), Oak Forest Campus, 9-11 am
To register, please call 708-596-2000 ext. 2663.
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Larry Rubrich
WCM Associates LLC
© 2009 WCM Associates
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