One of the imperatives of any continuous improvement program is a commitment by the organization to protect jobs. If people don’t trust the company, they will be reluctant to do anything that will increase productivity. Obviously, if fewer people can do more, then there is a need for fewer people. Companies can lay people off as a result of improvement activity exactly once. After that there won’t be any more improvements. Instead, the company’s leadership Read more…
I recently read an article about the debate over the number of H-1B visas being offered. What was interesting to me was not the immigration issue, but rather the customer service issue. Apparently, the system creates a batch process. There is a filing deadline, and companies are required to turn in applications by April 1, or they risk losing out on getting approval. That means several things. First, it means that employers have to make Read more…
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I’m an executive. How do I prepare to start my company on its Lean journey? While every Lean journey takes a slightly different path, there are some basic phases that every company progresses through. (You can learn more in our Continuous Improvement Development System.) Unfortunately, though, there is no standard path to take as you advance through those phases. Every company has slightly different needs. Their economic situations, skills of their workforce, problems, and a host Read more…
There is a way people think known as an “availability heuristic.” That is a fancy way of saying that we judge what we think is going to happen by the easiest to remember examples. We’ve all heard about efforts to cut costs in other companies (or possibly even our own), and they all seem to include layoffs. It is no wonder that people hear about Lean and they leap to the conclusion that it mean Read more…
Notable News The big news of the week is that we have worked on our production schedule, and are trying to get something new published every day. So far, so good, as we’ve had new content got out each morning. Of course, from the front end, it seems like a small change. From the back end, though, it is the result of significant process improvement activity to open up more time for creating and publishing Read more…
Every spring, the earth comes to life. The flowers start blooming. The trees grow buds. And the ‘For Sale’ signs spring from front yards all around the neighborhood.
And every year it gets me thinking about Lean and the real estate purchasing process. First of all, it is far, far, far too complicated. But that is a topic for a different day. The topic today is about value. It has always been interesting to me that there is a fairly standardized rate for commissions on the sale of a home. I cannot fathom that every agent …
Today I am pleased to be posting a short conversation I had with Karen Martin. She is the author of The Outstanding Organization and a recent Shingo Research Award recipient for that work. She is also one of my friends in the online continuous improvement community, so I am especially pleased to help her get her message out. In this 26 minute conversation, we cover a variety of topics ranging from how much control an Read more…
Outsourcing is the practice of sending work to another entity (a second company or an individual not employed by the outsourcing company). The main characteristic of outsourcing is that the work contains functions that, up until the outsourcing, had been done by the hiring company. In this manner, it differs from a standard supplier relationship in which the hired company augments a capability rather than supplants it. Offshoring is a specific form of outsourcing in Read more…
Employee engagement is a buzzword that I have seen used with increasing frequency over the last year or so. I’ve long been a big promoter of the link between successful Lean organizations and job satisfaction. And since engagement and satisfaction go hand in hand, I am happy to see the increase in awareness about the importance of an engaged workforce. I’ll skip the discussion about what employee engagement is for the time being, and focus Read more…
The short answer is no, but it helps. Of course, like anything, the consultant you choose has to be an effective one. But assuming that is the case, a consultant brings a lot of value to the table. He or she has seen a lot, both good and bad. That experience can be extremely beneficial to shorten your learning curve. The consultant has likely honed his or her craft over the years, and can come up Read more…
Everyone wants to be seen as being good at their jobs. When a company makes a change from an old way of doing business to a Lean way, the rules change. Team members can feel like the carpet was pulled out from under them. To regain a sense of security, they need to understand how they will be evaluated in their new continuous improvement oriented company.