The Psychology of Lean

Workplace Behaviors & Psychology in a Lean Environment

What are the first thoughts that pop into your head when I say the word ‘Lean’?

My bet is that it depends on who you are. If you are a manager, a continuous improvement advocate, or if you have been doing Lean for a while, you will most likely think of one of its tools: flow, waste reduction, or any of the other ‘hard skills’.

But if you are a frontline employee or professional, you might think about it a little differently. You might immediately consider how Lean affects you, how it changes your job and your workload, and you might even worry about your job security.

The point is that different people have a variety of reactions to Lean. Understanding some basic psychological principles can help explain why people react the way they do, and more importantly, can help them make changes that will make Lean both more effective and more satisfying.

This article reviews some of these psychological concepts and how they affect workplace behaviors in a Lean company.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

This psychological principle says people’s needs are arranged in a hierarchy. The model is commonly depicted as a pyramid, with the most basic needs on the bottom.

1. Physiological: Food, water, shelter, etc.
2. Safety: Freedom from fear of harm.
3. Social Needs: Being accepted as part of a team.
4. Esteem: External affirmation.
5. Self-actualization: Internal motivation.

Maslow says it is hard to address a higher level need when a lower order need is unmet. For example, an employee is unlikely to worry about being a part of a team (social need) when he is worried about how he would put food on the table if he was laid off (physiological need).

An effective Lean culture requires a high degree of internal motivation. And that doesn’t happen when people are scared of losing their jobs or getting in trouble for making mistakes.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

This psychological test presumes that every person has four basic components to his or her personality:

1. Favorite World: Extrovert or Introvert
2. Information: Sensing or Intuition
3. Decisions: Thinking or Feeling
4. Structure: Judging or Perceiving.

These combine to make sixteen distinct personality types (ENTJ, for example) that show a person’s predisposition to act in a certain way.

Doing something contrary to a personality type is not impossible; it just takes more energy than doing what comes naturally. An introvert, for example, might be uncomfortable participating in a kaizen’s report out.

In Lean settings, managers can look for indicators of a person’s personality type, and modify expectations and assign roles accordingly.

Defense Mechanisms

Defense mechanisms are the way people cope with the world around them without throwing their value system out of whack.

A few of the defense mechanisms most commonly associated with Lean workplace behaviors are:

1. Denial: A person may exhibit denial by refusing to acknowledge the need for change. Obviously, it is hard for a team member to commit to Lean when she thinks it is unnecessary.
2. Avoidance: A person showing avoidance will not volunteer for Lean projects, and will hunker down or walk away when the topic of conversation turns to Lean.
3. Projection: Projection occurs when a person ascribes his own unacceptable feelings or behaviors onto someone else. The most common application in Lean is when a resistant, uncooperative person views his manager as being close-minded (or vice versa-a stubborn manager sees an employee as being resistant).
4. Humor: Some people simply try to laugh it off or make sarcastic jokes when the feeling of change is overwhelming. A little is OK, but too much is disruptive and a warning sign that the person is struggling with the changes.

Defense mechanisms help a person in the short term by reducing discomfort with change, but the longer an employee goes without adapting, the further he falls behind as the organization forges ahead.

Managers should watch for workplace behaviors that seem contrary to an expected response. An employee accusing a manager of being grumpy when she (the boss) is feeling happy, or a person seeming blind to a steady drop in sales are big red flags.

Social Loafing

Some people display a characteristic in which they don’t work as hard on a team as they do in individual settings. The phenomenon is commonly related to the perception that they are not an important part of the team, or that their contributions are not going to be taken seriously. Whatever the reason, it results in wasted improvement resources.

Leaders should combat this by giving specific tasks to people rather than assigning work to a group. Those explicit assignments help keep people focused and motivated.

The Next Step…

Let’s face it. Psychology has never had a prominent role at the frontline of companies. It’s hard to picture a burly steel worker listening to his foreman talk to him about his avoidance issues.

But that foreman is using psychology with that worker, whether he recognizes it or not. Leaders use psychology intuitively when trying to motivate employees, or when they try to resolve disputes between coworkers.

The point is that the field of psychology, despite its lukewarm reception on the shop floor, is critical to your Lean success. After all, we commonly hear that people are a company’s most important asset.

Doesn’t it follow that leaders try to get a better understanding of what is important to employees and what is motivating them to act the way they do? Knowing that information goes a long way towards creating a win-win environment where satisfied employees drive up profit.

Learn about

the author,

Jeff Hajek.

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