Northeast Lean Conference 2017 - Integration of Tools & Culture - Recap

GBMP hosted another wonderful Lean Conference in the Northeast. A great time to network with many passionate Lean practitioners.  This year's conference was about integration of tools and culture in Lean transformation. Successful Lean transformation requires a deep understanding of the technical side of Lean supported by a culture that favors human development and broad employee engagement.

But which comes first: culture or tools...?

Here are some take-aways from the conference:

Brian Wellinghoff, Director of the L3 Journey at Barry-Wehmiller, kicked off the conference by igniting trust through improvement. Barry-Wehmiller, discovered that the purely numerical approach used by many companies implementing Lean principles was not sufficient and recognized that people are the experts. It is leadership's responsibility to encourage, empower and equip them to make the changes that positively impact their work.

Everyone wants to do better. Trust them. Leaders are everywhere. Find them. People achieve good things, big and small, every day. Celebrate them. Some people wish things were different. Listen to them. Everybody matters. Show them.

Paul Akers, President & Founder of Fastcap, shared his personal Lean Journey. Paul credits the astounding business growth to a fun, dynamic culture in which each employee puts into practice at least one two-second improvement per day.  He developed the culture by hiring the right people, relentlessly teaching and reinforcing the eight wastes in a daily morning meeting and empowering people to experiment and fail. And he has only one ground rule—keep Lean simple. 

Kim Hollon, President & CEO of Signature Healthcare, described the challenges that Signature has faced to create a culture of safety, and reflect on the leader’s role in the transformation. Highly reliable systems are a necessary but not nearly sufficient requirement for perfect patient safety.   Without an embedded culture of safety, systems can quickly become mere edifices, hiding traditional practices and behaviors.   The siloed, hierarchical structure of traditional hospitals place providers in stressful positions where it’s hard to confirm safety -- particularly in the critical handoffs between functions. A culture of transparency and open communication encourages behaviors that support the new systems. 

Karl Wadensten, President of Vibco, ended the conference with a discussion on what he call "re-entry to work." You've been inspired and re-energized and you heard lots of great ideas to make the Lean initiative where you work more successful. But how do you make sure the conference experience doesn’t end once you return home and put away the suitcase. Karl shared his ideas to share your new knowledge and outline a plan of action.

The conference was a wonderful experience.  Great opportunity to network and learn from other Lean practitioners. I highly recommend this conference because the value is unsurmounted. 

Teamwork is the Real Engine that Drives Our Success

I believe teamwork is the real engine that will drive our initiatives through to success. Together, we will push forward and deal with the many critical issues and directives facing our industries and businesses. 

We all have roles in our organizations but it is the power of teamwork that makes our endeavors successful. It takes everyone working together on a common goal to be successful in Lean.

Most people respond well to being a valued member of a team by putting forth their best efforts. Human beings are hard wired to work cooperatively with one another to achieve common goals, so keep remember that not all performance rewards need to go to individuals. Incentives can be provided to the team as a whole for working efficiently together to reach goals.

Groups don’t just become teams because we use that name and it is not about teamwork. Teams act as a collective unit with shared commitment and not a band of individual contributors. Just like in Lean the whole, or in this case, the team is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Teams often are more difficult to form because it takes time for members to learn to work together. Management must support and encourage the use of teams in there organization.

Highly performing and effective teams use a set of values that encourage listening and responding constructively to views expressed by others, giving others the benefit of the doubt, providing support, and recognizing the interests and achievements of others.

Collaboration and team work create an environment that allows the collective knowledge, resources and skills of each team member to flourish. When people work together they can complete tasks faster by dividing the work to people of different abilities and knowledge. Teamwork can lead to better decisions, products, or services.

Organizations that cultivate a culture of teamwork generally outperform their more individualistic competitors. Frequently, this leads to a virtuous cycle of self-improvement, as success breeds enthusiasm, which breeds better teamwork, which breeds yet more success. For this reason, teamwork is important for creating a healthy, prosperous organization.

Lean Quote: Leading by Example

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.

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing." — Albert Schweitzer

Good leaders must lead by example. By walking your talk, you become a person others want to follow. When leaders say one thing, but do another, they erode trust--a critical element of productive leadership. Here are 10 of the many ways to lead by example.

1. Take responsibility. Blame costs you your credibility, keeps team members on the defensive and ultimately sabotages real growth.

2. Be truthful. Inaccurate representation affects everyone. Show that honesty really IS the best policy.

3. Be courageous. Walk through fire (a crisis) first. Take calculated risks that demonstrate commitment to a larger purpose.

4. Acknowledge failure. It makes it OK for your team to do the same and defines failure as part of the process of becoming extraordinary.

5. Be persistent. Try, try again. Go over, under or around any hurdles to show that obstacles don’t define your company or team.

6. Create solutions. Don’t dwell on problems; instead be the first to offer solutions and then ask your team for more.

7. Listen. Ask questions. Seek to understand. You’ll receive valuable insights and set a tone that encourages healthy dialogue.

8. Delegate liberally. Encourage an atmosphere in which people can focus on their core strengths.

9. Take care of yourself. Exercise, don’t overwork, take a break. A balanced team, mentally and physically, is a successful team. Model it, encourage it, support it!

10. Roll up your sleeves. Like Alexander the Great leading his men into battle, you’ll inspire greatness in your company.

Guest Post: The Top 10 Lean Books of All Time

Do you know what lean manufacturing is? If not, then you haven’t heard of one of the most important and useful ways to manage a manufacturing enterprise. The concept of lean manufacturing arose from the work of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Toyota's production system. Initially, lean was created by Toyota to conduct business in a more effective way. The techniques they have been using are the six basic “lean” principles, which can be suitable for any business or production process.

These principles are used to improve the efficiency of manufacturing operations and include the elimination of waste, continuous development, respect for humanity, levelized production, just in time production, and quality built in. The advantages of lean manufacturing are so great that more and more companies, startups and entrepreneurs tend to adopt them as soon as possible.

If you’re interested in learning more about lean, you search for suitable literature on this topic. In recent years, there have been so many publications on lean change management that it is sometimes difficult to choose the best ones. Therefore, we have prepared for you a top of the best books on lean management.

The Best Lean Books for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

In order to learn more about lean, we’ve prepared 10 most efficient and informative books recommended you read as well.

1. The Machine That Changed the World.

A book produced by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos is, in fact, the beginning of everything connected with the lean production. You will be able to read the entire history of lean in the automotive industry. The book was created thanks to the enormous work of the authors, who analyzed the production system of Toyota, explored their basic lean principles and demonstrated their usefulness in any industry.

2. Lean Thinking.

A valuable creation again by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones that can be considered as a complement or continuation of their first book. This publication contains practical information on lean production. This book is more like a collection of the basic lean principles for the companies management, rather than a collection of step-by-step manuals with the use of lean manufacturing techniques.

3. The Lean Turnaround.

The book “The Lean Turnaround” is one of the best entrepreneur books of all time. Art Byrne, the author of this book, managed to determine the real lean strategies for entrepreneurs thanks to his numerous examples and practical results. 

4. The Toyota Way.

One of the premium lean management books free download is “The Toyota Way” written by Jeffrey Liker. Before the publication of this lean book in 2003, all the other authors focused on the technical aspects of Toyota Production System. The Toyota Way consists of 14 lean principles, which can be used as methods of managing an organization in the lean style.

5. The Toyota Way Fieldbook.

With the help of David Meier, Jeffrey Liker published the second part of the previous book. The Toyota Way Fieldbook contains the same 14 lean principles, but with a more detailed description and implementation (helpful tips and steps, troubles to avoid and reflection questions).

6. The High-Velocity Edge.

Steven Spear’s work on lean manufacturing was primarily called “Chasing the Rabbit.” To manage writing this book, Steven analyzed the work and production of such organizations like Toyota, Alcoa, and the United States Nuclear Navy. In the end, he figured out four important factors of improvement that became the core ideas of the book: problem solving, system design, knowledge sharing and people development.

7. Getting the Right Things Done.

To get the right strategy for entrepreneurship, you should certainly read this book by Pascal Dennis. It provides a guide for planning and executing the strategy deployment, and teaches you how to properly use your strategy to achieve greater goals in any industry.

8. Creating a Lean Culture.

An accessible and convenient book for those who want to get acquainted with lean management in the shortest possible time. The work of David Mann comprises four crucial lean principles: the leader standard work, visual controls, staff discipline, and daily accountability process.

9. Toyota Kata.

 “Toyota Kata” written by Mike Rother has the privilege over other lean books and publications since it interprets Lean as a set of simple rules for the overall improvement of an organization at all levels.

10. Real Lean Volume 1.

The top guide for lean manufacturing is the book “Real Lean: Volume 1”, published by Bob Emiliani. If you decide to take a course on Lean in your company, you are provided with the main strategies, advantages, and disadvantages, as well as the goals of adopting this enterprise management concept.

About Author: 

Lisa Griffin is a blogger and freelance writer whose lifestyle credo is "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."

Lean Quote: Why Attend a Conference?

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 me, conferences are like little mental vacations: a chance to go visit an interesting place for a couple of days, and come back rested and refreshed with new ideas and perspectives." — Erin McKean

This past week I spent time at the Northeast Lean Conference. Conferences serve as a great environment to learn more about content specific to your industry, product/services, industry trends and networking with other business owners.

Here are a few reasons you should go to conferences:

1. You will Learn – If you want to be a leader in your industry you must always be learning new skills. Even if you think you are a master of your trade, there is always someone else that knows more. What better way to learn than from those who know first hand. Perhaps it is not your business idol that is the main speaker at the conference; you never know who you might run across that will teach you.
2. Energy and Enthusiasm – So you go to a conference, there is a bunch of ‘rah rah’ cheerleader excitement. When you get home, usually the hangover wears off, and you crawl back into your normal life right? Being around like-minded people can excite you and get you ready to take on the world. However, it is up to you to carry that energy on with you after the conference.
3. Investing in Yourself – It does not matter what kind of conference it is, there are always takeaways.The educational aspect of a conference can expose you to new ways of conducting your business and help you discover how to be more productive. By adding tools to the toolbox, you are better prepared for the unexpected.
4. Network and Meet People - A big reason for going to conferences is to meet with like-minded people and industry peers. Conferences bring together people from all different geographical areas who share a common discipline or field, and they are a great way to meet new people in your field. At a conference you will be able to get together with people from a wide range of backgrounds, of whom you may not encounter at your home workplace or institution.

So why attend conferences? We each have our own reasons for attending but my personal opinion is that conference attendance dramatically enhances both your professional and personal development, as well as providing you with tools and skills which you cannot be taught in-house or online. 

Northeast Lean Conference - SIPOC - The First Picture of Your Process

This week I was fortunate to attend the Northeast Lean Conference. I met a number of great practitioners on their Lean Journey which I'll highlight in a upcoming post.  I also had the opportunity to present at the conference on a tool and how we use it for continuous improvement.  I wanted to share those slides here.

Whenever you are planning to start some process improvement activity, it’s important to capture an easily communicated picture of the current process first. A SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) diagram identifies at a high level the potential gaps (deficiencies) between suppliers and process inputs and between output specifications and customers’ expectations, thus defining the scope for process improvement activities. In this interactive session, you’ll learn to understand the fundamentals of creating an SIPOC diagram, demonstrating how you can dissect a process and create a workable improvement plan that can be applied in your everyday workplace. Armed with a detailed and shared visual understanding of how work actually occurs, the organization can more easily identify project ideas for improvement.

Northeast Lean Conference 2017 - SIPOC, The First Picture of Your Process from Tim McMahon