I believe with all of my heart that all individuals have the capability to improve and be creative. There is a spark in everybody to want to make things better. When people see trouble, they instinctively want to correct it.
On the Lean journey, the tools and problem solving mentality should not reside only within consultants and management. You might instinctively say you have front-line workers involved in change using Lean, but think where the need to improve originated from. If most of your improvement efforts begin at the management level, you are missing a tremendous opportunity to stoke the fires of those that see waste everyday.
- Do you help individual front-line workers find time and resources to use Lean to make improvements in their area?
- Are you asking them for input on problems they see in their area?
- Do you coach them how to gain a deep understanding of the problem by exploring the root cause?
Change should begin at the individual level and supported by managment through coaching and guidance the majority of the time. This is a big leap in the Lean journey but I think it is an improtant milestone.
My 2009 Hansei: Scarcity inspires creativity and innovation. How can I help harness that inspiration?
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