When Lean implementations stall or outright fail, it is usually because those involved have not changed their mindsets and behaviors to support it; Lean rarely fails for technical reasons.
Lean leadership is the active, on-going commitment to changing behaviors by changing the organization's culture to one that welcomes continuous improvement as the normal way of working. Cost-reduction is merely a byproduct of the effort of all teams to identify and solve problems as they reduce their daily frustrations and make their work more meaningful and rewarding. Most books on Lean provide tools and techniques to improve processes. They are very good at identifying the physical steps to becoming Lean, but do not focus enough on ensuring that employees at all levels of the company will understand and embrace the changes they encounter.
I wrote The Human Side of Lean Enterprise to give Lean start-ups and Lean practitioners insight to the very human reactions they will encounter and to provide some help in teaching people how to cultivate acceptance of the new way of doing things.
If you actively seek to improve your organization through Lean, you will find that changing the expectations and mindsets of all involved will lead to an alignment of your entire workforce with the strategic goals of the organization.
Lead your people to Lean. Teach them to be Lean Leaders, and then let them continue to train others to be Lean Leaders as the implementation proceeds through your company as naturally as a waterfall.
Lean leadership is the active, on-going commitment to changing behaviors by changing the organization's culture to one that welcomes continuous improvement as the normal way of working. Cost-reduction is merely a byproduct of the effort of all teams to identify and solve problems as they reduce their daily frustrations and make their work more meaningful and rewarding. Most books on Lean provide tools and techniques to improve processes. They are very good at identifying the physical steps to becoming Lean, but do not focus enough on ensuring that employees at all levels of the company will understand and embrace the changes they encounter.
I wrote The Human Side of Lean Enterprise to give Lean start-ups and Lean practitioners insight to the very human reactions they will encounter and to provide some help in teaching people how to cultivate acceptance of the new way of doing things.
If you actively seek to improve your organization through Lean, you will find that changing the expectations and mindsets of all involved will lead to an alignment of your entire workforce with the strategic goals of the organization.
Lead your people to Lean. Teach them to be Lean Leaders, and then let them continue to train others to be Lean Leaders as the implementation proceeds through your company as naturally as a waterfall.
