Lean Quote: Small Improvements Daily Equates to a Colossal Advantage

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.

"Small improvements are believable and therefore are achievable." — Anthony Robbins

Continuous improvement is about small changes on a daily basis to make your job easier.  Small step-by-step improvements are more effective over time than occasional kaizen bursts, and have a significantly greater impact on the organization culture - creating an environment of involvement and improvement.

One of the most counter intuitive facts about small ideas is that they can actually provide a business with more sustainable competitive advantages than big ideas. The bigger the ideas, the more likely competitors will copy or counter them. If new ideas affect the company's products or services, they're directly visible and often widely advertised.  And even if they involve behind-the-scenes improvements--say, to a major system or process--they're often copied just as quickly. That's because big, internal initiatives typically require outside sources, such as suppliers, contractors, and consultants, who sell their products and services to other companies, too.  Small ideas, on the other hand, are much less likely to migrate to competitors--and even if they do, they're often too specific to be useful.  Because most small ideas remain proprietary, large numbers of them can accumulate into a big, competitive advantage that is sustainable. That edge often means the difference between success and failure.

The smallest ideas are likely to be the easiest to adopt and implement. Making one small change is both rewarding to the person making the change and if communicated to others can lead to a widespread adoption of the improvement and the possibility that someone will improve on what has already been improved. There's no telling what might occur if this were the everyday habit of all team members.

Small victories tap into motivation. Achievement is fueled by making small amounts of progress, such as accomplishing a task or solving a problem. Help employees break projects, goals, and work assignments into small victories. Help them jump into an achievement cycle. 

In a Lean enterprise a strategy of making small, incremental improvements every day, rather than trying to find a monumental improvement once or twice a year equates to a colossal competitive advantage over time and competitors cannot copy these compounded small improvements.

 

Coaching Do’s and Don’ts for Developing People

Coaching is a critical platform for successful organizational change and learning initiatives. Organizations in the midst of today's changes need coaching to effectively communicate and facilitate where the organization is and where it is headed.

A coach's role is role equip people with the tools, knowledge, and opportunity they need to develop themselves. Development is not an event. It is an ongoing process.

Coaching isn't an occasional conversation; it's a continuous process.

Coaching isn't something you do to people, it's something you do with people.

Coaching isn't about fixing problem behaviors, it's about cultivating capabilities.

Coaching isn't a one-way relationship in which you have all the answers; it's a partnership in which both people share responsibility.

Coaching doesn't need to take a great deal of your time.

While there are many techniques and tools for coaching, it is useful to have an overall approach that unifies what you are doing.  Adopt a systematic approach to coaching with the help of these strategies:

Forge a partnership: Build a trust and understanding.  Trust allows people to know that you are interested in them.  Understanding enables you to be most helpful.

Inspire communication: Build insight and motivation so that people are committed to change and focus their energy on goals that matter to them and to the organization.

Grow skills: Help identify effective ways to learn new knowledge and to grow and develop skills and capabilities.

Promote persistence: Support people in their development even when they get discouraged or diverted.

Shape the environment: Build organizational support to reward learning and remove barriers.

Coaches, even those with the best intentions, consistently make common mistakes.  Being aware of these mistakes will help you catch yourself before you make them and give you a chance to redirect your efforts.

Explaining or talking instead of listening.  Set your mind on exploring, not fixing.  Let go of your desire to help, motivate, or change people, and instead try to understand them.  Assume that no two people are exactly alike in their values, goals, motives, and experiences.

Advising before understanding.  Suspend your agenda.  Focus on listening and concentrate on learning more about people's goals and what matters to them.

Problem solving.  Help people solve their own problems instead of solving them yourself.  It's like the saying about a fish and fishing: it's more powerful to teach people something than to give them something.

Repeating your views when you meet resistance.  Seek to see the world through the eyes of the people you are coaching.  Ask questions to help them clarify their own thinking.  For your coaching to have an impact, people need to believe that you understand them.

Coaching is about working with people to show them new possibilities and assist them in taking actions previously not obvious to them. Coaching is the capability to alter or shift the structures of interpretation, the context, the ground of being within which people normally operate. It is the means by which people development becomes a process of continuous learning integrated with people's daily work lives.   In this sense, introducing coaching competencies into an organization is a very powerful strategy for modifying or creating a culture which is more adaptable to change and growth.

Set-up Reduction is a Simple Yet Powerful Process

Reducing machine down time is the main goal of set-up reduction. However, reducing set-up times will boost your company’s capacity, increase your manufacturing flexibility, and help increase overall output.

The five basic steps to reduce changeover / set-up time are as follows:

     1. Observe and record the current method (videotaping is 
         effective)
     2. Identify internal and potentially external elements
             a. “Internal” set-up operations are operations that can 
                 only be carried out when the machine has stopped.
             b. “External” set-up operations are operations that can 
                 be carried out while the machine is running.
     3. Convert internal activities into external ones, where 
         possible.
     4. Streamline all steps using standard waste elimination 
         techniques
     5. Standardize setup – the right way, the same way – every 
          time

There are a number of ways to convert internal set-up to external set-up and streamline these steps. The following is a list of potential improvement ideas:

     1. Duality – means having two of something
     2. Minimum interchange – combine multiple fixtures into one 
         fixture
     3. Fixed direction – tool / part exchange one way
     4. Standardization – no adjustment – like making all nuts 
         and bolts same size for one wrench
     5. Locators – guides, keyways, pins, etc.
     6. Minimum interference – prevent barriers
     7. Minimum distance – reduce distance thereby reducing 
         time
     8. Minimum material handling – rollers, turn tables, gravity 
         feed devices for materials
     9. Quick disconnections – quick release connecting devices
    10. Poka yoke – mistake proofing methods like color coding 
          and go-no go device
    11. Multiple fixtures – similar to duality
    12. Handles – make it easier to access or move
    13. “Locomotive” connections – move multiple part with one 
         adjustment (via rods, chains, sprockets for example)
    14. Tapers – positioning guides
    15. Templates – simplify the set-up
    16. Rulers – simplify the adjustment
    17. Multiple workers – work together to reduce the set-up by 
          splitting up the steps

Set-up reduction is a simple yet powerful process. By looking at the process with an open mind and observing the process to really see what is happening improvement can be made.

Lean Quote: Learn to Ask the Right Questions

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.

"If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing." — W. Edwards Deming

A Lean implementation can not be sustained without Lean management. Our management system must change as our production system changes in Lean to maintain the integrity of technical changes over time. A Lean management system comprises of the practices and tools used to monitor, measure, and sustain the operation of Lean production operations. Lean management practices identify where actual performance fails to meet expected performance; assigns and follows up improvement activities to bring actual in line with the expected, or to raise the level of performance. The four principal elements of Lean management are standard work for leaders, visual controls, a daily accountability process, and leadership discipline.

Management must go to the Gemba to practice Lean management. Gemba is roughly translated from the Japanese as the real place. The idea of the Gemba is simple: go to the place, look at the process, and talk with the people. Gemba walking teaches us to see in new ways what we have failed to see before. So what do you look for and how do you see it? All management should learn to ask these three simple questions:

       1) What is the process?

       2) How can you tell it is working?

       3) What are you doing to improve it (if it is working)?

Nothing sustains itself, certainly not Lean manufacturing or Lean management. So, establish and stick to a routine including regular visits to the Gemba, check the status of visual controls, follow-up on daily accountability assignments, and ask the three simple questions everywhere. Lean management is, as much as anything, a way of thinking.

 

Guest Post: Significance of Safety and Hazard Signs in the Workplace

Brief Intro

We are human beings, and being a one human being means you’re very fragile in many ways. Not only that we are emotionally very sensitive beings, but also we are physically fragile, regarding all other species. All of us want to advance further in our life, which means we all seek harder and better-paid jobs. Often a well-paid and hard job is a dangerous one, and you need to be more than careful if you want to get out of there alive. Also, injuries can be enormous, and you can end up without one or two limbs for the rest of your life, unable to work anymore. This is where the importance of the safety and hazard signs comes in. There are there for a reason, and you must never neglect them, because many times, they are the ones who saved your life at the end of the day.

Why They Are So Important

First of all, when you see a sign, which is a warning for what lies ahead. You will then continue with great caution, or you’re going to turn around and walk away. Imagine that there was a vast field ahead of you, and you enter it without seeing the sign that says “Minefield.” You will end up dead or crippled in minutes. Do you understand the importance of safety signs?

Safety Signs and Symbols and Colour Codes - A Short Guide

Since you know now why safety and hazard signs are so important, and why you have to pay attention to them, here’s a quick guide what types of signs there are.

•    Red color – Represents prohibition and danger alarm. This sign is usually round shaped has a black pictogram on a white background, diagonal line, and red edging.

•    Amber or Yellow – Usually a warning sign which suggest you to be very cautious while entering that area. It is mostly in a shape of a triangle and has a black pictogram on a yellow background and a black edging.

•    Green – No danger at all, usually emergency escape. A white symbol on a red or green background. These signs are pretty useful when it comes to the emergency situation to evacuate more efficiently.

•    Blue – These signs are mandatory, and that means you should wear protective gear or take concrete action. It’s usually white pictogram on a blue background.

What is a safety sign?

Safety sign must NOT be ignored no matter what is happening. These can save your life and the lives of others. You must pay attention at all times and look out for those signs, it is listed above what each color of the sign means, and you could do a more thorough research if you want to learn more about safety signs. Also, if you do not use them, then some of your workers can get injured and look for workers compensation, and then you will need help you deal with it.

How They Work?

Safety signs are usually placed before you encounter the danger which is they suggesting that lies ahead. You can then prepare yourself, or avoid that danger. Either way, the sole purpose of the safety and warning sign is to help you be safer and do not put yourself at risk when you don’t have to. Not knowing that danger is ahead could be a huge problem, and that’s why people invented these signs.

Visual control or visual management

Visual control or management is something that is the strongest side of the safety signs. The best way something is going to affect something else is to present itself visually the best it can. In the case of signs, the visual management means bright colors and distinctive shapes.

In The End

There is always a need for signs if danger or something else lies ahead about which people need to be warned and informed. Also, the bigger part of the responsibility lies within the individual who sees that sign, because if he chooses to ignore it, it’s his fault if something happens to him.

Author Bio: 

Paul Gilbert is a professional blogger, enthusiast who loves to write on several niche including Insurance, Personal Injury, workers comp attorney & Social Security Disability. He is also a part-time consultant providing best solutions & support to injured workers for claiming workplace injury benefits under Workers' Compensation.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day to all my American readers! For a lot of people, Labor Day means two things: a day off and the end of summer. However, Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women and acknowledges the value and dignity of work and its role in American life.

Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. 


Over the years, it has evolved from a purely labor union celebration into a general "last fling of summer" festival. It’s a good thing to enjoy your last summer holiday. But it’s also a good thing to respect and honor those who didn’t have the favorable working conditions we have now. It’s a good thing to remember those who fought very hard for workers’ rights. The purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the social and economic achievements of America’s workers. Labor Day celebrates us all — our achievements and contributions to the strength, prosperity, and safety of our nation.

In honor of today's Labor Day holiday, here are nine "interesting office facts":

1. Americans spend at least 1,896 hours a year at work.
2. One percent of U.S. employers allow employees to take naps during working hours.
3. Women business owners employ 35 percent more people than all the Fortune 500 companies combined.
4. Americans now spend more than 100 hours a year commuting to work.
5. More than 50% of lost work days are stress related, keeping approximately 1 million people home from work every day.
6. When we think, we only use 35 percent of our brains.
7. More people walk to work in Alaska than any other U.S. state.
8. The average office worker spends 50 minutes a day looking for lost files and other items.
9. Forty percent of worker turnover is due to job stress.
10. People spend one in every four and a half minutes online on social networks and blogs.

Americans need today's holiday, since we work more than anyone in the industrialized world. We also take fewer vacations, work longer days, and retire later. And the trend is not positive. One expert concluded back in 1990 that we work nearly one month more per year than in 1970, and time pressures have only gotten worse since.

We celebrate Labor Day because we are all in this world of work together. Let’s enjoy the fruits of our labor and the solidarity of workers, the work we do, and the nation and economy we and our parents and their parents have built. Happy Labor Day!

Lean Quote: Time Can't Be Saved. It Can Only Be Spent!

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.

"Time waste differs from material waste in that there can be no salvage. The easiest of all wastes and the hardest to correct is the waste of time, because wasted time does not litter the floor like wasted material." — Henry Ford

Every time we put something off, the excuse is some variation of the same: "I'll get to it later. I won't be long. I've got plenty of time." Once that moment is gone, though, it's gone forever.

While it may be tempting to think that it's okay to put something off, the truth is you'll never get those minutes back. You can allocate future time to doing tasks you could do now, but that's essentially spending on credit.

Consider these 7 golden rules of time management for effective management of our most valuable commodity.

1. Time is fleeting. Think about it...the moment you started reading this is gone, never to be regained. It seems we get so caught up in petty circumstances that we forget what we set out to do, and before you know it, the day is gone!

2. Time is valuable. You always have time to make money; but you can never have enough money to make time!

3. Time is unforgiving. The amazing thing about your time; even through no fault of your own, even "wasted" time will never stand still.

4. Time is money. You must be constantly asking yourself, "Am I doing the most productive thing I can be doing right now?" Watch out for those "wasted" moments we were talking about earlier.

5. Time is always changing. We all must constantly renew our minds, and let the past be just that...the past! It can't help you now, aside from the learning experience, don't dwell on it.

6. Time is the ultimate judge. We have all heard "time will tell!" Well, there is some truth to that, as the future has a way of finding any flaw in the plan. Pre-planning will save massive amounts of your precious commodity called time.

7. Time is in your control. We can all be more in control of our day and how we spend it. Today should have been planned out yesterday, and tomorrow should be thought about today.


Time can't be saved.  It can only be spent! We spend it at the exact rate of one minute per minute. We can’t spend more or less no matter how hard we try. We can’t spend more than 5 minutes in five minutes with a friend, and we can’t spend less than 5 minutes in five minutes being angry in traffic. Our rate of spending is fixed. All we can control is where we choose to invest…