Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management: Special 100th Birthday Edition

TaiichiOhno’s Workplace Management was directly written by Taiichi Ohno, founder of the Toyota Production System. Many of his writings were transcriptions and interpretations of the man himself, leaving the reader to wonder how accurately it reflected the thoughts of this transformational leader. Jon Miller, both an experienced lean expert and fluent in Japanese, provides this latest translation and re-release of what should be a staple of every lean library.

This small book is a compilation of 38 short chapters each one or two pages that originally were spoken narratives with Taiichi Ohno. The book is not written by him, but is the result of these several discussions from Ohno. Some of the chapters are extremely insightful in the way of thinking Taiichi Ohno used when thinking up ideas for the Toyota Production System. There's also an excellent Publisher's Foreword and even better Afterword taken from Taiichi's 1st TPS textbook.

Although much of the learning comes in the form of specific nuggets of knowledge and subtle points and hints, a major theme throughout the book is the focus on the “gemba” or real place. The message is that you can’t effectively lead, manage, solve problems or improve without a relentless focus on the gemba. This means not only is this where you spend your time, where the work is done, but also it is what you seek to understand. He asks you to put aside your assumptions and see what is really occurring.

Unfortunately, this book is devoid pictures and illustrations which would bring clarity to the teachings. However, Ohno uses a combination of direct logical arguments, stories and analogies to paint a picture for his audience, the same you might expect to do in coaching his employees during the transformation of Toyota.

There is not a clear flow to the book, it is not easy to draw the intended conclusions and there is a substantial amount of redundancy throughout the book. Furthermore, there are chapters on unrelated topics such as one about issues within Japanese politics from the 1980s which is clearly not within the focus of the book.

TaiichiOhno’s Workplace Management is a must read for anyone serious about understanding Lean manufacturing in general and the Toyota Production System in particular. Word of caution, this book may have you seeking more answers than it gives. If you are seeking these answers, as many readers are, this is not the book to start with. It is particularly helpful if you are already be familiar with TPS concepts in order to fully grasp the teachings of the Lean Mastermind

This unique volume delivers a clear, concise overview of the Toyota Production System and kaizen in the very words of the architect of both of these movements, Taiicho Ohno, published to mark what would have been his 100th birthday. Filled with insightful new commentary from global quality visionaries, Taiichi Ohno's Workplace Management is a classic that shows how Toyota managers were taught to think.

What Makes A Happy Worker VS A Sad Worker?

There is a lot of discussion and focus on employee happiness and whether happy employees are more productive or harder working. Maybe employers should begin taking a look at their sad or disengaged workers to determine if it is their position or job they are happy performing or not. Many companies use HR training in order for management and others to implement workplace wellness training as sad workers can cause more problems than just low productivity.

Sad workers have a tendency to cause interoffice problems with other coworkers and with management. Workshift is the new type of office work environment. Workshift is essentially mobile office work saving commuting time, providing less interruption to upper level management, happier workers who are engaged in the actual work they are required to handle.

This happy vs sad worker infographic provides extensive data showing how an employees emotional well-being has a direct correlation with their work ethic, not necessarily their work productivity.

• Over seventy percent of employees are just going through the motions while at work, not fully engaged in the work atmosphere. 
• Eighty-six percent of current office workers desire workshift employment which is work done mobile rather than in the office. Those who workshift are more engaged, have less struggle working with management and coworkers.

Employers face a high turnover rate in employees and may need to become more flexible with employees reporting to the office to work. Company workplace stress training can be used to help employees feel more engaged while at work.

Featured By: Compliance and Safety

Lean Metrics Should Accurately Reflect the Process to Maximize Performance

On The Lean Edge Blog, last week was a discussion on Lean metrics. The question was, “Is there a Lean way to measure productivity?”  I thought I would add my thought to the conversation.

It is not enough to simply create a numeric measure. The measure should accurately reflect the process. We use metrics to base decisions on and to focus our actions. It is not only important to measure the right indicators, it is important to measure them well.

Metrics generally fall into two categories:

Performance Metrics are high-level measures what you are doing; that is, they assess your overall performance in the areas you are measuring. They are external in nature and are most closely tied to outputs, customer requirements, and business needs for the process.

Diagnostic Metrics are measures that ascertain why a process is not performing up to expectations. They tend to be internally focused and are usually associated with internal process steps and inputs received from suppliers.

A common mistake is to start first with your diagnostic measures - measuring yourself internally, rather than beginning with an external focus, namely your customer.

Metrics drive behavior, and the wrong metrics drive the wrong behavior. Direct labor productivity is not a good metric. It doesn't matter whether each worker is producing as much as possible. What matters is whether the plant is producing the amount of product the customer wants. And that is not the same thing. Don't talk about direct labor productivity.

Too many metrics create chaos and unnecessary work. Too few metrics will not provide enough measurement to ensure you’re your strategies are supported. Your metrics should provide insights into the progress your agency is making.

One of the biggest metrics mistakes is random selection. The best metrics start with the big picture. Identify the overall objective of your company or initiative. State it quantitatively. It should answer the question: "We'll know this is successful when we see _____ happen."

Metrics at the lowest layer of an initiative or organization have the highest actionability. A focus on the most actionable metrics is essential for 'moving the needle' of big picture metrics. When you identify a problem or opportunity that needs to be addressed, this is the symptom that you will explore for root cause analysis. Start with the observable problem or opportunity, not with possible solutions.

Organizations should figure out the story the metrics are supposed to tell and then stick with that outline. The metrics should describe the extent to which your organization is performing its mission. Metrics should explain your intentions and objectives.

Without good performance measurements, it is easy for companies to fall into a very common trap: Employees keep busy with all kinds of activities but achieve few of the desired results. Effective performance measurement is the compass that guides management toward meaningful results at the process level, results that will tie directly with the company's goals

Although there may never be a single perfect measure, it is certainly possible to create a measure or even multiple measures which reflect the performance of your system. If the metrics are chosen carefully, then, in the process of achieving their metrics, managers and employees will make the right decisions and take the right actions that enable the organization to maximize its performance.

Lean Quote: Ben Franklin’s 12 Virtues Provide Lessons in Leadership

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.

"There can be no happiness but in a virtuous and self-approving conduct." — Benjamin Franklin

When it comes to leadership, competencies determine what a person can do. Commitment determines what they want to do, and character determines what they will do. Character is foundational for effective decision-making. 

Character is not a light switch that can be turned on and off. Character is not something that you have or don’t have.  All of us have character, but the key is the depth of development of each facet of character that enables us to lead in a holistic way. 

“Virtues" are attitudes, dispositions, or character traits that enable us to be and to act in ways that develop excellence or dedication to the common good. They enable us to pursue the ideals we have adopted. Virtues are like behavioral habits – something that is exhibited fairly consistently. It is these virtues that define the character of an organization.

Recently I found out that Benjamin Franklin, through extensive study of the world’s major religions and various moral codes, came up with a list of thirteen main virtues that he felt every person should strive to live their life by.  As such, he himself attempted to always live by this code and developed charts with which he charted his progress from day to day, to make sure that he was constantly improving towards this end.

He would start with one of the virtues and plot his progress on the chart until he mastered that virtue; then moving on to the next; and so on until he mastered them all.  He ordered them specifically as shown below, as some of them naturally lend towards others.  Thus by sticking to this order, he felt it made it easier to achieve the whole.

This code is as follows:

Temperance: Eat not to Dullness, drink not to elevation

Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling Conversation

Order: Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time

Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

Frugality: Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste Nothing

Industry: Lose no Time. Be always employ’d in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary Actions

Sincerity: Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak; speak accordingly.

Justice: Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.

Moderation: Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Cleanliness: Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Clothes, or Habitation

Tranquility: Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable.

Chastity: Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dullness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another’s Peace or Reputation.

Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Benjamin Franklin had a goal of Moral Perfection. Even though he never reached that goal, Franklin believed the endeavor for perfection made him a happier, more successful person. Franklin discovered that this habit was the key to success.

The virtues outlined by Benjamin Franklin provide lessons in leadership and ethics that all business leaders can use to transform their organization and themselves. They represent the fundamental qualities of outstanding leaders, and are a guideline for success.

My experience is that a renewed focus on character sparks the best in people and fuels them in their personal journeys to become better leaders.  I see the process of learning to lead as a journey that enables people to bring the best of themselves to support and enable others, ensure that the organizations they work with perform at the highest level, and in doing so, contribute to the society in which they operate. 


 

Epic Fail, Yes Fail Epically To Improve

It seems nowadays everything is Epic. The word ‘epic’ is probably the most misused and overused word in the English language. Everything is epic this, epic that. Epic Thread, Epic Blog, Epic Win, Epic Fail, etc. But wait Epic Fail, yes we should.

Individually they are defined: 
Epic- Anything great, spectacular, or large/monumental in nature.  
Fail- An inability to complete an objective, task or job either assigned or volunteered for.

Combining them means: 
Epic Fail -A mistake of such monumental proportions that it requires its own term in order to successfully point out the unfathomable shortcomings of an individual or group.

Failure is part of risk-taking for any growing business. It’s what you learn from those missteps, however, that determine future success.

Treat every mistake as an opportunity to learn and grow. Don’t feel stupid or doomed forever just because you failed at something. You can find always other opportunities. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not improving. Henry Ford said, “Failure is merely an opportunity to begin again knowledgeably.” Failure can be an inevitable stepping-stone to great achievement.

Fear of failure is a genuinely scary thing for many people, and often the reason that individuals do not attempt the things they would like to accomplish. But the only true failure is failure to make the attempt. If you don't try, you gain nothing, and life is too short a thing to waste.

Management needs to establish an environment where failure is acceptable. Failures can either destroy or advance our goals, but it's our response to them that truly determines the outcome. If we are too afraid of failure to try then we will never know if we can improve our situation.

Learn to fail epically. Essentially, if you are going to fail you need to learn to do it epically to allow for reinvention and reprocessing to improve on the concepts of a failed product or service. Figuring out why something failed can teach you how to avoid future failures.

Daily Lean Tips Edition #42

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 #616 – When Setting and Achieving Goals Write Them Down

A very simple tip and a very effective one, too. Write your goals on a piece of paper and paste it somewhere which can remind you everyday that you need to get them. No, I am not suggesting that you get paranoid. If you think that they won't go out of your mind and you don't need to jot them down, it's good. But if there's a slightest chance that you'll lose sight of them, it's better to have them written down and take a look everyday.

Lean Tip #617 – When Setting and Achieving Goals Make an Action Plan

So you have set goals, written them down and now you are all set to start working towards achieving them. First step - make an action plan. There could be more than one method to achieve a goal. Which one suits you ? Decide on it.

Lean Tip #618 – When Setting and Achieving Goals Welcome Failure

If you learn to welcome failure and keep going, I think there's nothing which can stop you from achieving your goals. I don't know anyone who had an absolute smooth run and became successful. Failure is an important part of the entire process. Welcome it. Learn from it.

Lean Tip #619 – When Setting and Achieving Goals Track Progress

Extremely important. If you don't track progress, you don't get an idea if you are going the right way and if you would ever achieve it in the time frame you had set in your mind. So track your progress everyday. There are various methods and tools to track progress.

Lean Tip #620 – When Setting and Achieving Goals Persist

Persist. Don't give up. As I mentioned, there could be many paths leading to the same destination. Try out different methods. Learn and improve. Be patient. Be persistent.

Lean Tip #621 - It takes time for a change to become an established habit.

It will probably take a couple of months before any changes become a routine part of your life. That's because your brain needs time to get used to the idea that this new thing you're doing is part of your regular routine.

Lean Tip #622 - Pleasing other people doesn't work.

The key to making any change is to find the desire within yourself — you have to do it because you want it, not because someone else wants you to. It will be harder to stay on track and motivated if you're doing something out of obligation to another person.

Lean Tip #623 - Roadblocks don't mean failure.

Slip-ups are actually part of the learning process as you retrain your brain into a new way of thinking. It may take a few tries to reach a goal. But that's OK — it's normal to mess up or give up a few times when trying to make a change. So remember that everyone slips up and don't beat yourself up about it. Just remind yourself to get back on track.

Lean Tip #624 - Read, Listen and Learn

Setting goals is not about accomplishing things as much as it is about personal growth. You see, when you set goals that are challenging, you will have to become a better person in order to accomplish those goals. That is why it’s important that you read, listen and learn how you can become better in every area of your life.

Lean Tip #625 – Achieving Your Goals Requires Determination

One of the most common characteristics of people that constantly achieve their goals is that they are determined and relentless. They don’t give up. Imagine being relentless in the face of obstacles and challenges. See yourself blasting through the roadblocks and moving boldly to your goals. You already have that ability in you, you just have to dust it off and start using it.

Lean Tip #626 - Get Energized About Work.

Getting energized about work usually results from a couple things. Primarily if a work culture is fun to be in, it’s a place you look forward to going because the people (and leadership) are authentic, caring and fun. And teams that are energized with what they are doing get excited by the opportunities that a day may bring.

Lean Tip #627 - Planning is the Basic Step for Success.

You won’t know where you are going unless you know where you want to go. Confusing? Well that’s exactly how your business would be, if you do not keep things simple and organized. Planning is the basic step to succeed in business and planning accurately and developing strategies will lead you to a healthy and growing business. That means reframing the top down objectives in your organization. Don’t just work with only the large goal in mind. Set immediate and short term goals that fire up your team. Celebrate achieving those goals and adjust as the culture and needs change… We live in a very fluid business world where things change fast. Create a team that is able to change along with it.

Lean Tip #628 - Strive to Learn Something New Every Single Day.

It is easy to get bogged down in the same old, same old. In order to fully realize potential, you’ll have to add knowledge, skills, and experience. Don’t expect your potential to spring forth in a final draft; it takes time to hone your skills and build your confidence. This could come from formal schooling, from the school of hard knocks, or from both. Either way, your education is the house your realized potential will live in. The opportunities for learning are multiplying every day in this information/technology age. Learn at least one new thing every day. Improve your mind and enhance your skills. Never stop learning.

Lean Tip #629 - Work Smarter Not Harder.

Productivity comes from working smarter, not harder. That is the difference between effectiveness and efficiency. You can be effective without being efficient, but, the key to productivity is to do both. Sometimes, those job inefficiencies are not very obvious. However, if you can specifically identify them, then those inefficiencies can be eliminated and staff can become more productive. By distributing the tasks and responsibilities around, you not only become more flexible and able to respond to changes more quickly, but you involve more people in the improvement process. This can increase work satisfaction as well.

Lean Tip #630 - Devote Time Each Month to Employee Development.

Most people want to learn and grow their skills at work. Encourage experimentation and taking reasonable risk to develop employee skills. Get to know them personally. Ask what motivates them. Ask what career objectives they have and are aiming to achieve. You can make their career. In order to get the most from your employees, you need to invest time and resources in their development. Annual performance reviews simply aren’t enough. Make a point to sit down with each employee on a monthly basis (or more frequently, if possible) and provide them with specific feedback and areas of improvement.

Lean Quote: Corporations Need to Become People Factories

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.

"Corporations need to become people factories—places that develop people—not human warehouses that only produce window watchers." — A. William Wiggenhorn (Motorola University)

Most people want to learn and grow their skills at work. Encourage experimentation and taking reasonable risk to develop employee skills. Get to know them personally. Ask what motivates them.

In order to fully realize potential, you’ll have to add knowledge, skills, and experience. Don’t expect your people to do their best if you don’t equip them with the training they need to perform. And don’t expect your potential to spring forth in a final draft; it takes time to hone your skills and build your confidence. This could come from formal schooling, from the school of hard knocks, or from both. Either way, your education is the house your realized potential will live in.

Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company's philosophy Empowerment happens when employees use the company tools to solve problems. Build cross functional teams to improve quality and productivity. Work hard to reinforce the company culture and assure it is followed over the course of years.

Your role as a leader is to develop talent to the highest levels of independent and autonomous thinking and execution. Great leaders don’t subscribe to a “Do-It-For-You” methodology of talent management, rather they lead, mentor, coach and develop team members by getting them to buy-into a “Do-It-Yourself” work ethic. Great leaders view each interaction, question or even conflict as a coaching opportunity. Don’t answer questions or solve problems just because you can, rather teach your employees how to do it for themselves. If you make it a habit of solving problems for people, you simply teach them to come to you for solutions at the first sign of a challenge.

Leaders facilitate the solution of problems by pinpointing responsibility and developing employees. Leaders do not solve other people’s problems. Similar to the fishing adage, which says don’t feed a person a fish; teach them how to fish, don’t solve the problem, teach them how to solve their own problems.

Lean thinkers at Toyota believe that showing respect for people means you allow them to think for themselves and solve their own problem. It is often said that the mission of Toyota is about developing exceptional people who happen to make great cars. The point is that it is more about people and less about the problem. The problem is another opportunity to teach them a skill for lifetime.