A lot of the things that are required in a continuous improvement culture demand self-discipline, commitment, and some degree of sacrifice. Leaders who mandate those things from their teams while not doing the same themselves will lose the respect of their team. In practice, this means that leaders will have Read more…
Success at continuous improvement requires having a Lean infrastructure in place. This comes in two basic forms. There is the traditional view of infrastructure—the physical systems that support an operation. There is also the intellectual Lean infrastructure. This is the collection of knowledge, tools, documents, training materials, and the like Read more…
There is a pretty high failure rate with Lean. I’ve seen studies that said 76% of continuous improvement efforts under deliver, and I’ve heard anecdotal stories from Lean bloggers that claim upwards of 90% of implementations fail. The truth is that it is hard to pin down precise numbers, as Read more…
Most seasoned consultants look for warning signs when they try to help a company that is early on its continuous improvement journey. Creating a continuous improvement culture is extremely challenging. In its infancy, it is hard to build momentum, and easy to get derailed. Some of the ‘tells’ of a Read more…
Lean faces a great deal of criticism, despite the numerous examples of its successful usage across a broad range of industries. This criticism is, in large part, justified. When I first began my writing career, I came across a disturbing figure in my research. There was limited hard data as to the effectiveness of Lean, but one of the few data points I did find said that 76% of attempts at continuous improvement failed to deliver on the initial promise…
As you research the decision to become Lean, you will undoubtedly consider the various benefits that you will get from implementing this philosophy. Knowing these positive aspects is important not only for your own decision making on whether to go down this path, but also for improving your odds of successfully getting your team on board. Once you decide to pull the trigger, you will have to sell the benefits of Lean to your team.
The decision to become Lean, or to embrace any continuous improvement philosophy for that matter, is not to be taken lightly. While the results can be incredible, about three out of every four companies do not achieve the results that they expected when they began their Lean journey.
In addition, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to change the DNA of a company. And make no mistake…
We have a complete Lean Overview module in Volume 2, but it is hard to make a decision to move forward without at least a cursory introduction to the specifics of Lean. This section is a summary of our Lean overview, and is intended to provide you with some information Read more…
World-class companies take on projects that change the world. That’s not to say they engage in fantasy projects. But their confidence lets them…
Confidence is a key principle for world-class companies. They don’t concede victory to other dominant players in the market. Granted, there is a fine line between confidence and overconfidence, but in world-class companies, the line between the two is often…
If you don’t track how things are going, getting better is harder than it should be. Can you improve if you don’t track things? Sometimes. The problem, though, is that problems are often subtle and sap resources without you even knowing it. Others are noticeable, but are…
You may have gotten to Phase 6 on the backs of strong leaders and a handful of motivated individuals. But your company will not thrive once you arrive here unless you get everyone bought in. The ‘full’ in this principle actually has two meanings.
The first is that…