NC State of Business

"It does not happen all at once. There is no instant pudding." – Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to be in a number of conversations with managers and continuous improvement specialists about “lean transformation”. I’ve also been reacquainting myself with Dr. Deming’s 14 Points for Management. This experience has reinforced my belief that Lean implementation is one of the more misunderstood and underestimated activities a leader can undertake, and probably will only be successful if managers follow the spirit and intent of Deming’s 14 Points.

We need to be very honest with ourselves and face the facts that many don’t want to believe. Yes, organizations need to learn and implement Lean tools, but in order to sustain any gains over the long haul, they must also implement Lean thinking.

You cannot develop a Lean culture overnight. As Dr. Deming said, “there is no instant pudding”. It will take a long time and a lot of hard work. It’s a bit like gardening. You till the land, fertilize, and seed. But you can’t sit back and expect your vegetables to grow on their own. You must water, weed, and be vigilant to potential pests and assorted critters (yes, you squirrels – at least in my yard) looking to wreak havoc. It takes involvement (“going to gemba”) and hands-on leadership.

If your organization is considering embarking on a lean journey, or is somewhere along the path already, you need to do an honest assessment of leadership attitudes and actions. It is not enough for management to provide resources, time, and consultants, and then feel as they have made their contribution to the CI or Lean efforts. They must realize that this is not like a technical project to be managed and implemented by a small group of employees. This will take hard work and hands-on involvement by everybody on the corporate ship, including the captain and senior officers. If management is not committed to a long-term cultural shift with heavy involvement on their part, or if leadership is in a state of flux, then the idea of full-blown lean implementation should be very carefully reconsidered and quite possibly postponed until there is organizational stability and the appropriate mindset. Otherwise, Lean will soon be relegated to the list of previous “programs of the year”, most of which started with a roaring fire, then fizzled out and became another unsustained effort.

What do you think? What has been your experience? Please share!