Lean and Green - Together Maximizing Efficiency through Waste Elimination

Last week a modified version of my article "Lean is the means to be Green" was published on The Green Economy Post.

Lean manufacturing practices and sustainability are conceptually similar in that both seek to maximize organizational efficiency. Where they differ is in where the boundaries are drawn, and in how waste is defined. Sustainability expands the definition of waste to include the wider range of consequences of business actions including environmental and social consequences. Lean processes are inherently less wasteful and in this sense promoting lean processes can help organizations become more sustainable.

Below is the article in full.

Many manufacturers know the benefits of lean manufacturing: higher productivity, better quality, reduced cycle time, plus enhanced employee engagement. Lean is excellent at marshaling different groups and individuals into a high performing team focused on rooting out waste.

A Lean organization is commonly characterized by the elimination of the following seven wastes (Ohno’s wastes):

• Waste of overproduction (waste from faster than necessary pace);
• Waste of waiting;
• Waste of transport (conveyance);
• Waste from inappropriate processing;
• Waste due to unnecessary inventory (excess inventory);
• Waste due to unnecessary motion; and
• Waste due to defects.

By adopting Lean Principles, businesses can eliminate or reduce wasteful processes that can slow down the manufacturing procedure and add to costs.

In recent years many companies have established a fundamental goal to minimize the environmental impact while maintaining high quality and service for all business processes and products. This is commonly referred to as sustainability or green manufacturing. According to the Department of Commerce, “Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products that use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, are safe for employees, communities, and consumers and are economically sound.”

When implementing lean within our organizations, equipment reliability is a predominant foundational element that enables lean operational performance. Embracing green manufacturing requires giving more focus to environmental and energy concerns during the implementation of reliability improvement projects. Improvements geared toward improving equipment reliability have distinct linkages to environmental performance.

As most manufacturers are starting to realize, the quest to become green takes them right back to Lean. Applying ‘Lean Principles’ – a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement - is one of the key ways to enhance environmental performance. By applying the tools, systems thinking, and lessons learned from the process improvement methodology they can effectively operationalize sustainability.

Lean and sustainability are conceptually similar. Both seek to maximize the efficiency of a system. This is accomplished through waste and time minimization. The difference lies in where this system (or process) boundary is drawn and how, and in how waste is defined. Lean sees waste as non-value added to the customer; green sees waste as extraction and consequential disposal of resources at rates or in forms beyond that which nature can absorb.

When companies expand the definition of waste to include not only product and process waste, but also the business consequences of unsustainable practices, Ohno’s list of wastes takes a different form:

• Waste of natural resources
• Waste of human potential
• Waste due to emissions
• Waste from byproducts (reuse potential)
• Terminal waste, waste from by-products that have not further usefulness
• Energy waste
• Waste of the unneeded (e.g., packaging)

When the definition of waste is expanded and when it’s understood that the consequences of corporate decisions extend past the company parking lot, Lean can indeed be green. Less waste is good for the environment — and the company’s bottom line — and reducing waste in both products and processes is what Lean is all about. So it makes perfect sense that in order to achieve higher levels of environmental performance, your organization must first adopt the principles and practices of lean manufacturing.

There are also multiple Lean benefits from a green perspective including limitation of over-production. Other benefits include the reduction of obsolete equipment and the ability to provide efficient systems, thereby reducing both energy and materials usage.

Lean manufacturing practices, which are at the very core of sustainability, save time and money — an absolutely necessity in today’s competitive global marketplace. While the pursuit of Green and Lean is not a destination but a journey it is clear that organizations that stretch themselves to build a culture around the values of Sustainability, Excellence, and Equity will ultimately have a big advantage those who do not. Isn’t the ultimate definition of “sustainable manufacturing” to be able to compete and not only survive, but thrive?


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Lean and Green from the Connecticut DEEP

Lean and Green has been a topic here a number of times because of its importance and synergy.

Lean manufacturing practices and sustainability are conceptually similar in that both seek to maximize organizational efficiency. Where they differ is in where the boundaries are drawn, and in how waste is defined. Sustainability expands the definition of waste to include the wider range of consequences of business actions including environmental and social consequences. Lean processes are inherently less wasteful and in this sense promoting lean processes can help organizations become more sustainable.

While doing some surfing on the web recently I came across a video that shows how the Connecticut DEEP is using Lean and Green to become more efficient.  This video caught my eye because of the application of Lean in government and the fact that it's in the state I work in. Also, the sensei in the video, Fred Shamburg, was one of my sensei's along my journey. In fact, Fred was my first introduction to combining Lean and Green for mutual benefit so it was great to see him in action.


How are you using Kaizen in your company to impact Lean and Green aspects of your business?  Share your experiences on the synergy of Lean and Green.


Note: Stay tuned to the end of the video for a "Lean Quote".

Lean Quote: Waste is a Tax on the Whole People

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.

"Waste is a tax on the whole people." — Albert W. Atwood

A simple, profound statement that reminds me of our shared social responsibility.

In recent years many companies have established a fundamental goal to minimize the environmental impact while maintaining high quality and service for all business processes and products. This is commonly referred to as sustainability or green manufacturing. According to the Department of Commerce, “Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products that use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, are safe for employees, communities, and consumers and are economically sound.”

When implementing lean within our organizations, equipment reliability is a predominant foundational element that enables lean operational performance. Embracing green manufacturing requires giving more focus to environmental and energy concerns during the implementation of reliability improvement projects. Improvements geared toward improving equipment reliability have distinct linkages to environmental performance. 

As most manufacturers are starting to realize, the quest to become green takes them right back to Lean. Applying ‘Lean Principles’ – a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement - is one of the key ways to enhance environmental performance. By applying the tools, systems thinking, and lessons learned from the process improvement methodology they can effectively operationalize sustainability.

Lean and sustainability are conceptually similar. Both seek to maximize the efficiency of a system. This is accomplished through waste and time minimization. The difference lies in where this system (or process) boundary is drawn and how, and in how waste is defined. Lean sees waste as non-value added to the customer; green sees waste as extraction and consequential disposal of resources at rates or in forms beyond that which nature can absorb.

When companies expand the definition of waste to include not only product and process waste, but also the business consequences of unsustainable practices, Ohno’s list of wastes takes a different form:

Waste of natural resources
Waste of human potential
Waste due to emissions
Waste from byproducts (reuse potential)
Terminal waste, waste from by-products that have not further usefulness
Energy waste
Waste of the unneeded (e.g., packaging)

When the definition of waste is expanded and when it’s understood that the consequences of corporate decisions extend past the company parking lot, Lean can indeed be green. Less waste is good for the environment — and the company’s bottom line — and reducing waste in both products and processes is what Lean is all about. So it makes perfect sense that in order to achieve higher levels of environmental performance, your organization must first adopt the principles and practices of lean manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing practices, which are at the very core of sustainability, save time and money — an absolutely necessity in today’s competitive global marketplace. While the pursuit of Green and Lean is not a destination but a journey it is clear that organizations that stretch themselves to build a culture around the values of Sustainability, Excellence, and Equity will ultimately have a big advantage those who do not. Isn’t the ultimate definition of “sustainable manufacturing” to be able to compete and not only survive, but thrive?

Lean is the Means to be Green

Last week I had the pleasure of writing an article for Enna's newsletter. Enna is a developer and manufacturer of innovative, action-oriented training / workshop training packages developed for internally led process improvement initiatives. If you don't subscribe to their newsletter you can read it below.

Many manufacturers know the benefits of lean manufacturing: higher productivity, better quality, reduced cycle time, plus enhanced employee engagement. Lean is excellent at marshaling different groups and individuals into a high performing team focused on rooting out waste.

A Lean organization is commonly characterized by the elimination of the following seven wastes (Ohno’s wastes):

• Waste of overproduction (waste from faster than necessary pace);
• Waste of waiting;
• Waste of transport (conveyance);
• Waste from inappropriate processing;
• Waste due to unnecessary inventory (excess inventory);
• Waste due to unnecessary motion; and
• Waste due to defects.

In recent years many companies have established a fundamental goal to minimize the environmental impact while maintaining high quality and service for all business processes and products. This is commonly referred to as sustainability or green manufacturing. According to the Department of Commerce, “Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products that use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, are safe for employees, communities, and consumers and are economically sound.”

As most manufacturers are starting to realize, the quest to become green takes them right back to Lean. Applying ‘Lean Principles’ – a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement - is one of the key ways to enhance environmental performance.

Lean and sustainability are conceptually similar. Both seek to maximize the efficiency of a system. This is accomplished through waste and time minimization. The difference lies in where this system (or process) boundary is drawn and how, and in how waste is defined. Lean sees waste as non-value added to the customer; green sees waste as extraction and consequential disposal of resources at rates or in forms beyond that which nature can absorb.

When companies expand the definition of waste to include not only product and process waste, but also the business consequences of unsustainable practices, Ohno’s list of wastes takes a different form:

• Waste of natural resources
• Waste of human potential
• Waste due to emissions
• Waste from byproducts (reuse potential)
• Terminal waste, waste from by-products that have not further usefulness
• Energy waste
• Waste of the unneeded (e.g., packaging)

When the definition of waste is expanded and when it’s understood that the consequences of corporate decisions extend past the company parking lot, Lean can indeed be green. Less waste is good for the environment — and the company’s bottom line — and reducing waste in both products and processes is what Lean is all about. So it makes perfect sense that in order to achieve higher levels of environmental performance, your organization must first adopt the principles and practices of lean manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing practices, which are at the very core of sustainability, save time and money — an absolutely necessity in today’s competitive global marketplace. While the pursuit of Green and Lean is not a destination but a journey it is clear that organizations that stretch themselves to build a culture around the values of Sustainability, Excellence, and Equity will ultimately have a big advantage those who do not. Isn’t the ultimate definition of “sustainable manufacturing” to be able to compete and not only survive, but thrive?

Daily Lean Tips Edition #36

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 #526 - Create opportunities to showcase your employees.

"Billboard" employees to your own supervisors and to others in upper management as well as to those outside your department or division. Some managers erroneously think that if they give workers credit, upper management will question the manager's own performance. But managers who fall into the trap of competing with the employees they supervise usually stall their own careers.

Lean Tip #527 - Add interest and challenge to workers' day-to-day routines by implementing job rotation.

Job rotation simply involves placing employees into jobs of equal value that they may have expressed an interest in or that you expect, based on their skill strengths, they may do well in. Some organizations encourage employees to initiate job rotation through a formal process, thereby increasing job skill levels as well as motivation.

Lean Tip #528 - Provide employees with responsibility and authority to successfully accomplish assignments.

Today, progressive companies utilize the skills and talents of their employees by assigning them to cross-functional or self-directed work teams. Employees not only perform their own specific job functions by have a team identity as well. Team members are responsible and accountable to the team for achieving its goal, implementing processes, and sharing the recognition for its results.

Lean Tip #529 - Provide assistance to employees without taking away responsibility to complete the job.

Clearly define your role and avoid the temptation to do the job yourself when employees find themselves in hot water. Let employees go it on their own and face those gut-wrenching challenges.

Lean Tip #530 - Find ways to foster employee self-esteem and self-confidence.

Although important, managers and supervisors must do more than give praise and provide meaningful work. To empower employees, supervisors must continually build employee self-esteem.

Lean Tip #531 – Limiting overproduction helps make the process Lean but also a lot more Green.

Identify areas of overproduction and root causes of waste in the current manufacturing system and find ways to reduce or eliminate them in the future. Some raw materials can be recycled meaning your carbon footprint will be reduced, however energy consumption will increase and the amount of unnecessary products needing disposal is a distinct possibility.

Lean Tip #532 - Manufacturing companies who want to reduce costs and increase efficiency, should not neglect quality control.

If this area is overlooked, you end up with defects and added waste which will need to be disposed of. More space is required if these products are stored for reworking or repair and therefore means an increase in energy use for heating, cooling and lighting.

Lean Tip #533 – Eliminating or reducing waste will maximize product yield, while helping a manufacturing company be more green.

This means less waste will go to landfills and more products made. Additionally, it saves the company money as typically, waste makes up four percent of business turnover.

Lean Tip #534 - Expand the definition of waste to include not only product and process waste, but also the business consequences of unsustainable practices.

When you expand your thinking, Muda’s list of wastes takes a different form:

• Waste of natural resources
• Waste of human potential
• Waste due to emissions
• Waste from byproducts (reuse potential)
• Terminal waste, that is by-products that have not further usefulness
• Energy waste
• Waste of the unneeded (e.g., packaging)

When sustainability is viewed this way, it isn’t something new that has to be planned from scratch and agonized over. Instead, it can be integrated into existing continuous improvement programs – Lean, or even Six Sigma initiatives.

Lean Tip #535 - A lean and green supply chain helps manufacturers save money and reduce environmental impact at the same time.

Manufacturers can stay competitive and reduce their environmental footprint at the same time by partnering with the Green Suppliers. By targeting the root causes of wasteful practices along the supply chain you can mutually achieve business and environmental goals.

Lean Tip #536 – Productivity Tip: Know how you currently spend your time.

The simplest way to do this is to keep a log of what you do each day for a period time. While this may initially feel like a time waster, it is a necessary planning step. Just like you can't budget your money without knowing where you're currently spending it, you can't budget your time without knowing where it's going either. By keeping a log you'll become more aware of stress times and down times, and will be better equipped to plan your time.

Lean Tip #537 – Productivity Tip: Identify your "prime time."

Your "prime time" is your most productive time. For many people that time tends to be in the morning while others find it take a while to get going. By scheduling your most important tasks for the times you're at your best, you'll be able to get them done faster and more effectively.

Lean Tip #538 – Productivity Tip: Do tomorrow's planning tonight.

Being prepared for the coming day will enable you to get more work done, and be more effective at what you do. As you wind down at the end of the day use this time to create a simple, prioritized to-do list, so you'll be better able to focus on what needs to be done the next day.

Lean Tip #539 – Productivity Tip: Continually ask yourself "Why am I doing what I'm doing right now?"

If you cannot answer this question, you are not being as productive as you could be. Make sure that you are doing something for a specific reason, and simply not wasting your valuable time spinning your wheels.

Lean Tip #540 – Productivity Tip: Handle each piece of paper or e-mail once.

When you have completed a task, either file it away or pass it on to someone else. When doing tasks and making decisions, make the decision and then stick to it. Do not put off making a decision, and don't make vague, wishy-washy decisions. Being more decisive will free you up to move on to other tasks, making you more productive.

Daily Lean Tips Edition #13

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 #181 - Eliminate overproduction to solve your Lean and Green wastes.

Identify areas of overproduction and root causes of waste in the current manufacturing system and find ways to reduce or eliminate them in the future. Some raw materials can be recycled meaning your carbon footprint will be reduced, however energy consumption will increase and the amount of unnecessary products needing disposal is a distinct possibility.

Lean Tip #182 - Don't neglect quality if you want to improve Lean and Green efforts.

Although manufacturing companies want to reduce costs and increase efficiency, they neglect quality control. If this area is overlooked, you end up with defects and added waste which will need to be disposed of. More space is required if these products are stored for reworking or repair and therefore means an increase in energy use for heating, cooling and lighting.

Lean Tip #183 - Going digital saves the environment and saves you money.

Is it necessary to print out a meeting agenda for every member? Or can you incorporate it into a slide show, or simply send it via email? How about posting employee manuals and other materials online rather than distributing — and onerously updating — print copies? Increasing numbers of digital storage devices and systems for businesses make going digital very easy to do.

Lean Tip #184 - Use multi-purpose machines to reduce Lean waste and save energy.

Each piece of office equipment you buy produces heaps of toxic substances in both the manufacturing and disposal stages. So the fewer office machines you buy, the smaller your footprint will be, and the less you have to travel to them. Consider using multi-purpose machines that handle copying, scanning, faxing, and printing, as well as other multi-tasking machines.

Lean Tip #185 - Make recycling easier for your employees and customers.

Recycling is about more than separating your waste into a few different bins and waiting for somebody to take it away. By finding creative ways to recycle and reuse in the office, you can save waste, and in most cases save money while you're at it.

Lean Tip #186 - A Lean Accounting System needs to be a minimalist system.

A Lean Accounting System needs to be a minimalist system - tracking only the absolute minimum transactions with the lowest frequency possible. A simplified system that cuts waste and unnecessary transactions. A system that highlights when to take action and when not to.

Lean Tip #187 - Kaizen results don't show up on the bottom line.

Kaizen results don't show up on the bottom line. Of course they don't! Actual savings are only made when people actually leave or less material is purchased. Lean is not about cost reduction but rather a growth and competitiveness over the long term.

Lean Tip #188 - If profit is seen more important than cash, then overproduction can be an issue.

Overproduction, at least in the short term, may generate positive variances and increase the book profit. However, your cash flow is likely to decrease. If profit is seen more important than cash, this is an issue. Cash flow is a good measure of a Lean system taking profit and inventory into account.

Lean Tip #189 - Buying supplies at a discount can help your variance but at a cost.

If supplies are acquired at a discount this will generate a positive variance. But what if that means that delivered batches will be bigger and more inventory will need to be stored? Buying more than you need at a volume discount also means more cash outlay. Since all the material is not needed collecting money for your goods and services takes longer as well.

Lean Tip #190 - Frequent product costing encourages number manipulation rather than focusing on improvement.

Product costing on a monthly-by-monthly basis. There is an obsession in the west with detailed product costing brought about by the belief that costs can be controlled by the financials. They cannot. Only productivity improvement can make a difference. Variances often encourage game playing managers who spend an inordinate amout of time manipulating figures rather than focusing on improvement. Plan and machines are sunk costs. These costs cannot be changed in the short term, only manipulated. In fact, there is no such thing as the true product cost, at least in the short term.

Lean Tip #191 - When Value Stream Mapping Identify the Basic Process Steps Before Hand.

Identify the basic process steps before conductiing your value stream map. This helps your Value Stream Mapping team be familiar with the process and understand the level of detail that will be captured. For each step in the process agree to the measure/data requirement needed for the map.

Lean Tip #192 - Don’t be shy – visit the workplace when doing a value stream map.

Before, during and after – walk your value stream to ensure that you understand the process – you will gain far more knowledge of the process if you witness the events yourself. An incorrect VSM can lead to wrong conclusions being drawn and can waste valuable time of improvement teams. Spend time at the workplace to ensure that what you map is accurate.

Lean Tip #193 - Make your value stream map with pencil and paper.

These days there are lots of value stream mapping software available but for first timers who may not be familiar with the software its just one extra thing to learn. Excellent results can be obtained through traditional pencil and paper. When drawn in pencil it is easier to make changes. Just remember to stick with basic value stream mapping icons.

Lean Tip #194 - Take your time and validate your value stream map.

There is a lot to think about when undertaking value stream mapping so be sure not to rush. Create a check list of items that should be included in the map and cross them off as you go along. When you think you’ve got your map complete – validate it with your stakeholders – ensure its representative of what actually happens. Use this to iron out any problems with the map. Don’t take this stage for granted – get it wrong and you can find your improvement suggestions shot down in flames as stakeholders trash your map!

Lean Tip #195 - Remember keep your value stream map simple.

Remember that there is no perfect value stream map and you should set out to capture all the sufficient information. Keep the mapping process simple and allow for corrections. This will allow everyone to participate and be engaged in the improvement part of the process.

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Lean Tips Edition #193 (#3106 - #3120)

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 #3106 – Think Differently

Ideas for change can come from a process or policy that you have come across that may be improved or appears to be no longer fit for purpose. Choose something you and others genuinely care about. Keep it simple; you are testing small scale change not trying to do ten things at the same time. You may decide to do a project against a known standard; but this will be a real-time, dynamic audit with the real possibility of making a difference in a short space of time rather than the traditional approach we have become used to.

Lean Tip #3107 – Be Clear and Focused

Have a clear vision and objectives so everyone understands what you are doing and why. Using SMART goals (which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) should help you achieve this.

Articulate your vision and try to find the hook that makes them want to get involved as well. For example, what new skills they may acquire and the rewards for participating, such as team recognition or leadership.

Lean Tip #3108 – Make a Change and Evaluate it to See if it Worked

Use a straightforward measuring process so there is no doubting the improvements made. It's important to know the baseline activity before you start so you have a number of points of comparison and keep measuring little and often. Two data points are not enough. Record your results on a run chart so you can see the changes taking place over time.

Lean Tip #3109 – Engage Your Team

Improvement is a team activity. Therefore, an essential step in getting started is to engage in dialogue with your team. Make time to talk about what matters to people and involve them in solutions. No one person has the skills or knowledge to come up with a solution on their own. Identify the benefits to the team, customers, and employees, which will help with buy-in. If you don’t have buy-in from your team, you will likely fail, no matter how good your idea is.

Leaders must actively support and make time for improvement processes, in order for it to take hold and flourish. Enable your team to openly share information and encourage people to take action where it’s needed. As a leader, you can create a culture where your team feels connected and empowered.

Lean Tip #3110 – Commit to Change 

Most importantly, you need to enjoy the experience. Lean makes change a real possibility, which is both empowering and satisfying for everyone. Finally, don’t worry about what you don’t know or it being perfect the first time. You will learn by doing and your skills will be developed as you go.  Celebrate your successes and your failures, as there is valuable learning in both.

Lean Tip #3111 – Take a Tour

Sometimes we learn best by first witnessing the success of others. See the benefits of lean in action. It is not difficult to find organizations that will allow you to see their lean implementations (referred to as the Gemba walk). Take detailed notes of what is highly effective in their Lean implementations, ask questions, and get as much valuable information as you can in order to help you formulate you own Lean strategy for implementation.

Lean Tip #3112 – Discard Conventional Fixed Ideas

Part of problem solving is thinking “outside of the box.” Encourage fresh perspectives and ingenuity in your team in order to develop innovative ways to forward Lean manufacturing without changing what is already efficient and successful. With such a rapidly evolving climate in manufacturing, sometimes conventional thought is what leads to the problem in the first place!

Lean Tip #3113 – Provide the Right Supplies, Tools, and Training

Although it’s often taken for granted that a shop floor has what it needs, I’ve seen facilities where employees have to rummage through dumpsters to get simple supplies like grinding discs. From bad documents to missing parts, dropped balls are rampant in almost every industry. By correcting this problem with the right materials, tools, information, training, and work environment, a wide array of inefficiencies will simply evaporate. Your employees will jump to support any good-faith efforts that eliminate the inconveniences they experience.

Lean Tip #3114 – Enlist Believers.

A system-wide change must be powered by team members at all levels of the organization, not just upper level leaders.

The best lean implementations are mandated and supported top-down and put in place bottom-up by enabling the people who do the work to redesign and improve their work.

Find and enlist an army of recruits who will work under the guidance of your leadership team. They will establish the systems and processes that enable both structural and behavioral change.

Lean Tip #3115 – Leave a legacy

Many executives are passionate about what they do and care about making a lasting impact on their organization.

Implementing a process improvement culture can make a real difference to business teams and to the success of an organization. Execs are well-positioned to leave a legacy with the support of engaged teams who are executing processes aligned to the business strategy.

Lean Tip #3116 – Encourage Peer Recognition

Encouraging peer recognition is an effective way to ensure that your employees feel recognized and appreciated for their contributions. Instead of an annual, top-down approach, peer recognition programs empower employees to recognize and reward one another on a much more frequent basis.

Crowdsourcing employee recognition makes celebrating the myriad achievements and contributions of all the members of your team much easier, more organic, more genuine, and much more realistic to accomplish.

Although peer recognition is one of the most effective methods to ensure employees know they're appreciated, there are many other complementary initiatives you can implement that dovetail nicely with it.

Lean Tip #3117 – Highlight Employees When You Can

Whenever you get a chance, highlight your employees. There are a few different ways you can do this. Many companies use social media to highlight employees who are doing something special. Those employees then share that information with their friends and family, so you’ll get more eyes on your brand. This is a win-win for you and your employees. You can also highlight an “employee of the week,” which allows you to recognize employees more often than an employee of the month.

Lean Tip #3118 – Never Underestimate the Value of Sharing Your Time and Building a Relationship With Your Team

They appreciate your genuine interest in their ideas and thoughts about their jobs. They like bouncing ideas back and forth with you and look for your sincere input on their projects and goals.

The role of mentor and coach is powerful in training your organization’s culture and expectations. It is also a significant source of experiential knowledge, history, work approaches, and on-the-job training.

Lean Tip #3119 – Provide Opportunities for Contributing Employees

Opportunities can take many forms. But, all of them are outside of the normal day-to-day requirements of their job plan.

Employees appreciate chances for training and cross-training. They want to participate in a special committee where their talents are noticed. They’d like to lead a team that is pursuing an important objective.

They are happy to attend professional association meetings and proud to represent your organization at civic and philanthropic events. They’d appreciate the green light relative to implementing an idea they have for increasing morale in your workplace.

They are eager to stop doing portions of their job that have become rote in favor of new goals and assignments that stretch their skills and build on their abilities.

Lean Tip #3120 – Recognize the Person, Not Just Their Performance

When we think about the content of a recognition message, we usually associate it with praising an employee's performance. For example: "Great job on exceeding our targets for the quarter!"

But, the problem with only praising performance and productivity is that it can make your message's content feel impersonal.

Ultimately, to boost the impact of appreciation, a recognition message should add a few words about the soft skills they brought to the table. In short, be specific.

"Amazing job exceeding your targets for the quarter! We are so impressed by your creative problem-solving and work ethic."

As you can see, recognition and appreciation messages at work are most impactful when leaders highlight what the employee did differently. When someone sees you and understands you as a person, it's a great feeling.

Green MBA: Lean Manufacturing and Sustainability for the Future

Today I am pleased to welcome Linda Forshaw, who is providing a post on A Lean Journey today, where she discusses Lean manufacturing and its correlation to sustainable business practices.

Linda Forshaw is a freelance writer and published author from Liverpool in the UK. She is writer for DegreeJungle.com and specializes in social media, marketing and technology. Contact her on Twitter at @seelindaplay

“The principles of this philosophy are about streamlining processes and making flow more efficient.” - Six Sigma, Aveda Business Institute

Considered a philosophy as much as it is considered a process, Lean Manufacturing is built on the tenet of waste elimination. With an underlying concept of value, the method seeks to add value to a finished consumer product via the elimination of things like time, materials and personnel. Often referred to simply as “Lean,” the method may also focus on providing internal benefit to a company by reducing cost and investment in inventory. The desired result is to maintain a steady production schedule to deliver the optimal quantity of quality goods at the best time and place. In practice, this method of manufacturing is often seen to be mutually beneficial; to create profit and enhance end product quality.

The core ideas surrounding Lean Manufacturing can be traced back as far as the 1800s when Eli Whitney perfected the concept of interchangeable parts. In 1910, Henry Ford took the idea a step further when he arranged all of the elements required for manufacturing the early Model T automobile into one continuous system. His innovation and ability to see that everything from people and machines to tools and products should work together harmoniously has often led Ford to be declared the first practitioner of Lean Manufacturing. The retooling of Ford’s plants for war production saw the Willow Run Bomber plant famously build “A Bomber An Hour.” This notable feat caught the attention of the Toyota Motor Company in Japan. The Japanese industrialists refined Ford’s practices in order to develop the Toyota Production System, commonly referred to as the “Just In Time” system.

By the 1980s, American manufacturers had started to realise the benefits of such a production system. Various acronyms such as World Class Manufacturing (WCM), Continuous Flow Manufacturing (CFM) and Stockless Production have been used, but they essentially all use the same concepts as those seen in the Toyota system. The term “Lean Manufacturing” was first introduced by James Womack in his 1990 book, “The Machine That Changed The World.” The concept has now captured the attention of thousands of manufacturers, with lean implementations in production environments now commonplace. The experience and knowledge base surrounding the technique continues to expand rapidly, helped in part by the growing interest in sustainability and green manufacturing techniques.

Lean manufacturing and sustainability can be seen to go hand in hand. Growing ecological responsibility and an increasing commitment to preserve precious resources for future generations have seen the introduction of many green MBA programs at educational establishments across America and the globe. Until Spring 2012, the Aspen Institute conducted a biennial survey known as Beyond Grey Pinstripes. The resulting data produced a list of the highest ranking green MBA programs in the world. In the 2011-2012 survey, three US universities featured in the highest ranking five establishments. The Stanford Graduate School of Business took top place, with the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame taking fourth, and The Yale School of Management coming in at number five.

Individuals seeking a better understanding of the concept of Lean Manufacturing and its correlation with sustainable practices may wish to undertake the free online course from the Aveda Business Institute. For a limited time Six Sigma White Belt Certification is offered free of charge. This offer represents an excellent opportunity for those interested in Lean to benefit from free online education.