Lean Quote: Motivation Tips for Managers

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.

"An employee's motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager." — Bob Nelson

Managers should remember that people act from motives, and motives come from within, not without, the individual.  A motive is that within the individual which incites that person to action.  This means, in effect, that all motiviation is "self-motivation."  This being true, the job of the manager is to help people find ideas, which will act as inner impelling forces directed to useful ends.  It is the manager's job to get people to want to do that which needs to be done, rather than feeling they have to do it in order to justify their retention on the payroll.  Here are some reliable ways to do this:

1. Be genuinely interested in them.
2. Get them to see the end results of purposeful, dedicated, consistent effort on their part as it relates to their future and the advancement of their careers.
3. Provide them with goal-oriented job descriptions.
4. Utilize incentive programs, which will have purpose and meaning for them.
5. Show them how they fit into company goals and the related importance of their work.
6. Give them deserved praise and meaningful recognition.
7. Keep them achieving.  Achievement is, in iteself, a great motivational factor.
8. Help them set goals, which will coincide with those of the company.
9. Get rid of "dead wood."  Productive workers are more productive when every person contributes to the team effort.
10. Help them acquire and maintain a spirit of achievement by careful planning and organizing their efforts directed toward attainment of meaningful results.
11. Help them set and achieve self-improvement goals.
12. See to it that they get the acceptance and approval they need to satisfy their thirst for recognition and a feeling of importance.
13. Help them attain a conviction that they are accepted and approved, and that in your estimation, they appear in a favorable light.
14. Show them how and why they are doing useful, worthwhile work.
15. Tell them about their progress.  This they want to know.
16. Listen with interest to their triumphs, their problems, their ideas and their grievances.
17. Show them how they can get what they want by meritorious performance.
18. Never neglect them, ignore them, forget them.  This is one of the worst mistakes a manager can make in handling people.

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FastCap Comedy: Fix What Bugs You

I have talked about FastCap and their improvement videos here before.  Now there is a bit a humor from the folks at FastCap.



While this video is a little bit comedic there are still valuable lessons to be learned:
1.  Fix what bugs you - make your job easier.
2.  Go to the shop floor - the Gemba is where problem solving occurs.
3.  Work can be fun - make improvement enjoyable if you want more.


There is a great deal that we can all learn from FastCap.  They have over 250 videos on their YouTube Channel FastCapTV. Many are about small daily improvements from the shop floor fixing what bugs them. Take some time to review these.

Book Review: e2 Continuous Improvement System

The Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership's (GBMP) Bruce Hamilton and Pat Wardwell have written a new book, e2 Continuous Improvement System.  Bruce Hamilton is infamous from the Toast Kaizen video and Pat is on the AME regional board with me so I was looking forward to reviewing their book.  


e2 stands for "everybody, everyday" a saying Bruce has made the tag line for GBMP's approach to Lean. The e2 Continuous Improvement System is a proven process for energizing and engaging employees in Lean learning and practices.  The key component of e2 provides tacit learning to make lean techniques relevant and exciting in the context of your organization.  This is a system I am familiar with from my experience with the GBMP team.


Bruce and Pat wrote this book to support their mission to keep jobs in the US.  Their experience has shown that copying Toyota's methods without careful consideration to their whole system will produce short-lived and even negative outcomes.  In this book they set out to educate everyone about the real power of behind TPS being human intelligence and creativity.


The book is comprised of 3 major sections: Foundation, Management, and Countermeasures.  The foundation section defines the e2 learning system, history of Lean thinking, and basic principles of Lean.  Elements like Kaizen, policy deployment, idea systems, and assessment make up a portion of the Management section.  Countermeasures is about the more well know tools used in improvement like 5S, visual systems, standard work, kanban, poka-yoke, and others.


Each lesson in the book contains practice exercises so you can learn by doing.  It also includes DVD lessons from their library of videos that are designed to amplify key points, offer examples, and supplement learning.  Lessons end with a reflection exercise which allows you to really think about your learning and these lessons.


This is a workbook style book with many visuals and examples.  At only 226 pages it flows well and is easy to read. It contains visual indicators for key points, practice exercises, DVD lessons, and more. This book serves as a complete training package for either independent study or group based book study.  You can even purchase an optional on-line review and self assessment tool to check your learning through short quizzes.


It is not surprising that many of the practice exercises include going to the Gemba to observe.  I would have liked a list of the supplemental training materials including DVD's to make purchasing them easier.  This book can also serve as a great reference guide after reading and learning but without an index your are going to have to rely on the limited table of contents.


e2 Continuous Improvement System follows a proven system of tacit learning of Lean based on the approach of everybody everyday. Any leader looking to transform their organization or is already managing and sustaining a transformation will want to read this book.  The lessons in this book are valuable for everyone in any organization.  I recommend you get this book today and start your Lean Journey now.

The 7S of Effective Change

The 7S model is a management model that describes 7 factors, which together, determine the way in which organizations operate.  It was developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, two consultants working at the McKinsey & Company consulting firm.  The basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful.  These seven elements are all interdependent, so failure to consider one of these factors may affect the others. 

The elements are grouped into two sub-categories of "hard" elements (red circles) and "soft "elements (brown circles). 

"Hard" elements are easier to define or identify and management can directly influence them.  Soft" elements, on the other hand, can be more difficult to describe, and are less tangible and more influenced by culture. However, these soft elements are as important as the hard elements if the organization is going to be successful.

A simplified description for each of the elements can be given as:

Strategy: the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition.

Structure: the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom.
Systems: the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done.
Shared Values: these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic.
Style: the style of leadership adopted.
Staff: the employees and their general capabilities.
Skills: the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company.

The central theme of the model is that the seven elements are interconnected and interdependent upon one another. In order to achieve business success, each of the seven elements must be aligned and mutually reinforcing each other. Effecting change using this model involves the assessment of all areas, simultaneously taking into account their nature and effect on each other.

If something within your organization or team isn't working, chances are there is inconsistency between some of the elements identified by this model. Once these inconsistencies are revealed, you can work to align the internal elements to make sure they are all contributing to the shared goals and values.

The 7-S model is a useful way to look at the many interrelated aspects of a complex organization and it's a great way to help you understand your organization and leverage it for effective change. 

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Lean Quote: For Success Attitude is Important

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.

"For success, attitude is equally as important as ability." — Harry F. Banks

Managers can and should influence an employee's attitude.  If someone has a negative attitude or is convinced an opposing idea is better than yours use these nine principles to change people's attitudes without giving offense or arousing resentment:

1. Begin with Praise and Honest Appreciation.  Begin by finding a common point on which both can agree, something the other person has done well and for which specific praise can be given.
2. Call Attention to People's Mistakes Indirectly.  This is the difference between saying "You're dumb!" and "What you did was dumb and I know you're better than that!"
3. Talk about your Own Mistakes before Criticizing Others.  A mature manager will probably admit that he or she has made the same mistakes that others make.  Sharing this fact before delving into the other person's error will cement the relationship and pave the way for constructive action.
4. Ask Questions instead of Giving Direct Orders.  This is a powerful principle to develop creative thinking on the part of subordinates.
5. Let the Other Person Save Face.  A "cornered" animal will fight back; so will we.  Give a person an opportunity to save his or here self-image.
6. Praise the Slightest Improvement and Praise Every Improvement.  When a person is doing something new, he or she needs immediate feedback and feeling of accomplishment.
7. Give a Person a Fine Reputation to Live Up To.  The most important "reputation" a person can live up to is the manager's high opinion of that person.  If they sense you turst and respect them, they will work very hard to earn that trust and respect.
8. Use Encouragement.  Make the Fault Seem Easy to Correct.  Wether an employee changes his or here attitude or behavior will depend largely on their conception of the difficulty of changing.  You can help them by using this principle.
9. Make the Other Person Happy about Doing the Thing You Suggest.  This is accomplished by sharing the benefit to the other person that will be the  result of doing the thing you suggest.

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Book Review: Moving Forward Faster

Finally, there is a book on Lean leadership for executives.  Bob Emiliani, the author of the Real Lean series of books, has revealed the secrets of Lean management.  Moving Forward Faster, The Mental Evolution from Fake Lean to REAL Lean explains the advantage of Lean management over conventional managment. 

Bob looks at the economic, social, political, and historical aspects of Lean management that very few think about.  These provide a much better explanation for why there is a lack of success in many Lean transformations.  Based on his observations and research there are 85 items that represent most of the fundamental knowledge that Lean pratitioners lack yet must become aware of in order to succeed long-term.  Bob has compiled this comprehensive guide so that we may learn how to evolve our thinking from the modified versions of Lean seen in many organizations to REAL Lean.  One based on continuous improvement and respect for people.

This book is written for the executive levels of organizations but others leading Lean transformations will also find this useful.  It is intentionally a quick easy read with each chapter consisting of a short statement followed by bullet points describing how each statement is inconsistent with Lean management.  The resulting thinking behind each statement however will keep you intrigued for a long time.  The book is printed in color which brings the element of visual management into your learning.

Bob suggest that these 85 items can used to assess and diagnose problems with your Lean transformation.  Each of these problems serves as a starting point for root cause analysis and the identification of practical countermeasures.  You can also use it to help identify causese of failures in other organizations.

In his final words, Bob challenges executives to further commit to to studying and learning Lean by practicing the ideas in this book.   One of the most important duties of executives is making decisions.  In the appendix of this book Bob explains a process for completing a failure analysis.  Learning from our mistakes and those from others is crtical to success.

I highly recommend Moving Forward Faster as a guide for your Lean transformation.  This is a resource I am sure you will continually reflect upon in your own journey.  I know I will.  If you want to understand what REAL Lean is and how to support it or lead it in your organization then this book will be a must read for you.  Get your color copy today.


Note:  The author provided me a copy of this book for review.

Daily Lean Tips Edition #10

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 #136 - It is easy to think that inventory solves production flow problems but in fact it just hides them.
Inventory occurs for a variety of reasons:

•The upstream process moves faster than the downstream process.
•Goods flowing from several lines to one process or goods waiting to go from one process to several different lines tend to pile up.
•There is waiting for machine changeover.
•Materials are purchased and processed for expected end-of-the-month rushes.
•Spare parts are purchased in advance for after-sales service.

Inventory adds cost without adding value.

Lean Tip #137 - Inspection identifies and eliminates defects from the production flow.
Inspection identifies and eliminates defects from the production flow. It does not add value because it does not eliminate the source of the defect but only its result. Once you change your focus from "finding" defects to "reducing" defects you are on your way to eliminating waste. Ultimately, lean production aims to prevent all defects from occurring.

Lean Tip #138 - Identifying and eliminating waste increases job satisfaction.
No longer will you spend hours looking for missing tools, waiting for materials to arrive, walking around piles of inventory, lifting and setting down heavy parts or tools, working in unsafe conditions, and all the other things you have to do that aren't essential to your job. When you identify and eliminate waste the frustrating non-value added aspects of your job will disappear.

Lean Tip #139 - In order to balance capacity and load without overproducing, you must implement advanced Lean production.
In order to balance the capacity and load without overproducing, you must implement the advanced methods of Lean production:

•Line balancing
•One-piece flow
•Pull production using kanban
•Quick-changeover operations
•Level production - small lots, mixed production

Overproduction is the worst of the seven wastes; it is the exact opposite of just-in-time production.

Lean Tip #140 - If you want the ability to see waste you must adopt the necessary attitude.
You must adopt an attitude that supports your ability to see waste. Waste is hard enough to find when you wan to find it; if you don't want to find it, or if your response to finding it is denial or resistance, then it will never be possible for you to root out waste and make your environment stress free.

Lean Tip #141 - Remember three essentials for fact finding.
Remember three essentials for fact finding. (1) Go to where the problem occured. (2) See the problem first-hand. (3) Confirm the facts based on your own observations.

Lean Tip #142 - Be a walker and an observer in your factory.
Supervisors and managers must continually walk through the factory to see that standards are being followed and to practice seeing waste. Operators need to continually examine their own operations to stay alert for new problems and new ideas for solving them that may come to mind as they do their jobs.

Lean Tip #143 - Look with the eyes of a child.
Young children looking for answers in their surroundings are always asking why. All improvement begins with the first why. Never cease looking and never cease asking that first why. As you practice this, the rest will follow.

Lean Tip #144 - Standards must be continually and systematically updated or waste will enter your operation.
One way waste enters into operations is when standards are not improved to meet changing conditions. Even standardization fails to sustain waste-free production if not systematically updated to take advantage of new materials, new technology, and worker improvement ideas. If the slightest defect occurs, the standard must be reconsidered.

Lean Tip #145 - Bring latent wast to the surface by implementing single piece flow.
If you are having difficulty finding waste, or there is no motivation to do so, you can jump-start the situation by introducing single-piece flow. Don't wait for the right conditions, just put it in place with the current conditions in one line. Suddenly, latent waste will be obvious to everyone.

Lean Tip #146 - There are three element needed to establish standardized work.
There are three elements of standardized work:

1.Takt Time: the rate at which we must produce a product or service to meet the customer demand.
2.Work Sequence: the best way and the order we know to do the work today.
3.Standard-work-in-process: the amount of inventory necessary to allow takt rate to be met and the worker to be successful in performing to the standard each time.

Lean Tip #147 - Implementing visual systems create a number of benefits for your organization.
Implementing visual systems in your organization create a number of benefits including:

•Workers can take command of their daily work
•Visual systems provide a common work language even when spoken languages differ
•Low cost and simple solutions
•Perserves key resources for other work
•Makes it easier for Managers to "see" abnormal condition in the processes they are responsible for

Lean Tip #148 - Increase your understanding of the power of visual systems with a Gemba walk.
Take a Gemba walk through your business. Make a list of all the visuals you see, categorize them by type (indicator, signal, control) and note how and where they are used. Can you think of any other places these visual methods could be used in your company?

Lean Tip #149 - Go to the production floor and look at the paperwork when trying to create continuous flow.
Walk the production floor and look at the paperwork for about 10 orders that are in WIP. Document the lot size for each order. Ask why the lot size is the size it is. If you were to cut the lot size in half what would happen.

Lean Tip #150 - Continuous flow uncovers a number of opportunities in your value stream.
The key advantages of continuous flow are:

•Shorter lead-times and less work-in-process inventory
•Easier to identify defects and process problems
•Keeps workers focused on value-added work and makes it easier to see where they are needed
•Allows for faster feedback and improves communication when problems arise
•Reduces many of the seven wastes associated with batch production

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