1. Ask customers to help. Most customers with a supplier development program will be only delighted to offer their help. Those without their own lean or kaizen capability may actually engage you to help them, creating new supply chain collaboration opportunities. At the very least, clearly grasping customer expectations can help reset our own targets and give us new focus for kaizen.

2. Set audacious targets. In other words, think bigger than you normally would. Toyota routinely sets targets that require “cost reduction by half” and other ridiculous things. This helps blow away the more mundane excuses rooted in today’s realities which over time we come to believe are firm and unchanging, i.e. the best we can do. Once the platform has been set on fire, a healthy sense of urgency has been instilled and people are serious about climbing the newly visible peak, allow people to take it a few small, steady steps at a time.

3. Assign people dedicated to leading the climb. There may or may not already be people dedicated to lean, kaizen, six sigma or continuous improvement in an organization that has made progress in kaizen. Aside from the debate of whether this necessary or good to keep continuous improvement going, having a dedicate person or team to examine why kaizen seems to be stuck, benchmark what others are doing to keep it going, and to build momentum around getting the ball rolling again is a good idea. Make sure these people have genuine enthusiasm and knowledge of how to do kaizen and the acuity to recognize what “better than now” looks like.

4. Visualize your progress. This requires using metrics. Let people know how they are getting on towards the goal. I was on the winning end of a discussion recently to persuade the owner of a successful lean company to post improvement metrics on the shop floor for all to see. This would not have been appropriate a year or two ago, nor would these metrics have been appreciated and understood. However after years of progress with kaizen I believe this is exactly what this company needed at this time to keep the focus on their particular themes for kaizen. Done over a period of years, the visualization of kaizen activities also serves as an early warning sign that the energy is waning, or that we are becoming complacent with our progress.

5. Ask people for their ideas. Of course any company advanced with kaizen will say they already do this, but when quizzed on the gemba, only the best can actually answer “Today” when asked “When is the last time you asked another team member for their kaizen idea.” It is the most obvious, most direct and quickest way to keep kaizen going.

6. Involve everyone. Ask, “Who haven’t we involved yet?” Just as there is always more room for improvement in quality, safety and service, there is always someone who has yet to be fully engaged in improvement. This small contingent may have been overlooked for various reasons or due to their roles appearing to tangential. Examples may include the janitors, security guards, the landscaping crew or the seasonal workers. However it is these people who often see things others miss, have time to think of fresh ideas and also require that we go back to basics when teaching how to do kaizen. Involve everyone.

7. Blaze your own trail. We can say kaizen is a “do”, a way or practice, similar to many martial arts such as judo, aikido or kendo. The martial arts process of shu-ha-ri or “hold-break-leave” applies here to blazing your own trail or “way”. First we hold or stay true to the kaizen form taught us by our sensei. Once we have mastered these we can break away from these routines, making changes to better suit the unique person or organization we are. Then we distance ourselves – move apart from the sensei’s way to create our own way or style. In terms of kaizen this means that there comes a time for following the standard approach, a time for mastering and adapting it, and a time for refining our own way of doing kaizen.

The ultimate test of whether one can keep kaizen going is to become the sensei and continue teaching others.

Reply
The best way to answer this question is to summarise two contrasting real stories – one that got it and one that still does not – at different ends of the same sector.

The successful case began with a question from a senior Director – “How could these lean Toyota ideas help my business?” “Let’s take a walk and see” was my answer. As we walked it because clear there was waste everywhere. This very quickly led to a meeting with the CEO who was intrigued and gave us the go ahead to begin some experiments to demonstrate the potential scale of the improvements that might be achieved. But I insisted that we begin by taking a team of top managers from this company and a few of their suppliers to walk the end-to-end process back from the customer. This proved to be a game changing experience – they were shocked at what they now learnt to see!

So we were quickly given several places to carry out experiments and these quickly showed huge amounts of wasted time and effort could be saved. At the time no one had tried to do these things in this industry, even though I had the Toyota example as my reference model. Meanwhile teams from both companies began meeting to reap the low hanging fruit they could now see. And their internal team worked with other consultants to calculate the financial implications of the process savings we were demonstrating from each of our experiments. This was essential to get Board approval to go further and do the next set of experiments. In each case once this had happened their team worked out the operational detail before rolling out the next piece of the system as the new standard across the business.

Gradually as the different pieces came together more savings were uncovered. The fastest things to change were the physical operations and it took a few years before the systems could be changed to support the logic of continuous flow. But the CEO was quick to spot new capabilities he could build on to introduce new business models that were previously too expensive to do. The rest is history – they moved from an also ran in the UK to number three in the world in a decade and their competitors are still struggling to catch up with them! The Board never lost sight of the core insight that removing any interruptions to the flow of products through their system would be good for them and their customers and they never used lean language to describe what they were doing, even though their Chairman is a great admirer of Toyota!

The other case also started with the same question – but from the head of improvement. Several meetings in hotels eventually led to a visit to HQ to meet the new CEO. This company was making huge profits so I did not get a clear answer to my question “Why do you want to do Lean?” This was followed by days of meetings with armies of very bright staff in the improvement function at HQ and a few awareness training sessions. Which were followed by more visits and more meetings to refine our PowerPoint proposals and to develop their Training Manual and the Plan for rolling this out across several hundred plants across the world. These visits continued for several months, and frustration began to set in.

Meanwhile we persuaded them to allow us to begin some experiments in chosen plants to build some demonstration sites and create a network of people with hands-on experience. Because this company had a long history of rolling out new initiatives from HQ local plants were very wary of this new programme as they saw it and jealously guarded their independence and as a result these experiments quickly ran into political problems. Our approach was seen as rocking too many boats and they began to look for more traditional consultants who would stick to training and improvement workshops. This came to a head when we were only allowed to do our workshops in hotels and not on the shop floor and when their central improvement team asked for our proposals and then blocked us sending them to the CEO!

We probably learnt more from this “failure” than from the earlier success. In retrospect we failed to get them to define the business problem the CEO was trying to solve with lean. We never managed to persuade his senior team to take a walk through the process with us. We were told this could only be done with an army of minders and a big security presence. We never convinced them that this was not about rolling out new tools across their plants but about getting to action quickly to design a set of carefully controlled experiments to create hands-on knowledge and examples.

But the biggest obstacle turned out to the very bright staff in the improvement function at HQ who wanted to control the roll out of the programme based on their theoretical understanding rather than hands-on operational experience with lean. I have since seen very similar situations in several big multinationals, where we were in danger of getting sucked into a never ending cycle of meetings to discuss ever more elaborate PowerPoint presentations that never result in any action!

But I do not despair – we planted the seeds of lean. I know that several of their competitors have got it and are making steady progress and achieving dramatic results. As these translate into growing market share and volumes this company will be back in a couple of years asking why all the money they spent on more traditional consultants did not yield the same kinds of gains. Resisting the temptation to say “we told you so”, we can begin again with a bottom up programme of controlled experiments, tightly focused on closing the vital few gaps that will make the biggest difference to the business. Over time we will link them together and build the community of experienced lean line and plant managers who can make it happen day in day out. The focus and the will to work across functions to make this happen can only come from the top. I have always said that I only need one company in each industry to really get what lean is all about – and in time the rest will be forced to follow!

2) If your organization does not view people as their greatest asset, would there be more or less harm in your company if the leadership began believing in and referring to people as their greatest asset?
3) Is it possible to view and refer to people as assets and still respect them as individuals without dehumanizing them or thinking of them as controllable resources?
And a bonus question, if the answer to 1 was “no” then what exactly does your organization believe is your greatest asset?

4. Where is the pacemaker process?
The pacemaker is more than a mechanical point for setting the speed or “pacing” the line, it is the single location where scheduling takes place. The remainder of the line should be triggered by the pull signal from the pacemaker. Too many model lines operate on quasi-pull due to lack of a clear pacemaker.
5. How are “islands” or processes set apart or isolated from the upstream and downstream processes connected?
A model line need not necessarily a series of equipment in a contained area or even a physical production line. The value stream may span several departments and be physically disconnected. While this is not ideal, rearrangement of equipment is not always a practical first step as part of a model line project. In fact the moving of equipment can become the end in itself, even taking resources away from training or improvement to the equipment in situ. It is better to ask how standard WIP, the pulley system (tsurube) and other methods are used to pull between islands.
6. Where are the standard work documents?
The standard work chart(s) should be visible. Hunting and retrieving standard work documents from their storage place is far from world class.
7. How well is standard work being followed?
This is a question rich in possibilities. Is the standard work easy to follow? Does it appear easy? Is it in fact easy? Why or why not? The better and more detailed the standard work, the more ways this question can enlighten us as to the maturity of the model line.
8. Does standard work exist for occasional work such as tool changes, material changes and the replacement of empty or full containers?
Many times problems are hidden in the occasional or filler work. When this work is timed and standardized it becomes possible to improve it. Another way to ask this question is, “What has not been standardized and why?” This one is a lot of fun, but can put the questioned in an awkward spot. It should be used only when there is enough trust and rapport with those people.
9. When was standard work last updated (improved)?
The smaller this number the better, as long as the unit is never more than days. Twenty one is a good initial target for a mature, stable model line.
10. What percentage of balance to takt time has been achieved for manual cycle times for individual stations?
The model line should display a yamazumi chart that shows stacks, like wooden blocks, the individual work elements at each station. Against a horizontal red line of takt time, some stacks will be naturally taller than others unless perfect balance has been achieved. An overall balance to takt time of 95% is ideal but for mixed model production 10%-15% is common. Also look for kaizen activities generated from imbalances on the yamazumi.

Effective marketing can influence the consumer to want to buy a company’s brand again and again, so to ensure marketing leaders and teams are at the top of their game it is worth investing in online training.

Leadership and training consultancy Brand Learning and AstraZeneca recently questioned top marketers about what skills and techniques are needed to succeed in the field.

Brand Learning founder and managing director Andy Bird believes that while marketers can develop brilliant communication and generate demand in a one-dimensional way in order to lift it up to help shape and drive what a company is doing, then you have to bring the entire organisation with you.

“It’s also about a hard-nosed commitment to practical delivery, a focus on the commercial and being resilient under pressure,” he told Marketing Week.

Online Training for Marketers

To benefit from marketing and to enable marketing professionals to gain these vital skills, e learning online training is an essential tool in developing this branch of your business. Other research carried out by Marketing Week Magazine in May revealed that more than half of marketers are increasingly looking for training in the use of social media and digital courses, as well as more traditional training skills such as working under pressure and team building, all of which can be incorporated into an effective online training scheme.

As a training consultancy and eLearning solutions provider Growth Engineering work with clients to develop their own web based learning material and create it in an eLearning style and format that suits company brand values and budget. Find out how e learning services can help increase your company sales skills, increase sales and increase your profits

Building on the nature metaphor, we can say that grass roots motivation requires the right environmental factors, namely soil, sun and clouds.
Soil. Roots grow downwards because they are geotropic, moving in response to gravity. The soil is the medium which allows grass to stay in place and take root, offering the chance for the blades to grow upwards. The immediate physical and organizational environment in which people work is probably the most important factory in the successful motivation and engagement of people. If the workplace is unsafe, lacking fair and followed rules, or missing a functioning team structure this is like planting garden grass seeds in the shifting sands: they will not grow. It is a system issue. Safety is at the base of the hierarchy of needs pyramid. If raising problems or suggestions for improving them results in blame or punishment, motivation will suffer. If the workplace itself is not stable and safe people will be too worried to think creatively.
The team structure is similar to having fertile soil that promotes growth but also that a gardener is present to actively weed and care for the grass. A lean high performance team requires a span of control small enough for the team leader to function as a checker, trainer and coach, enabling the growth of each individual.
Clouds. The hydrotropic nature of plants causes them to move and grow towards or away from water. The clouds bring rain and also block the sun. Too much cloud presence is a bad thing, but the absence of clouds is also fatal for grasses. In this sense the clouds are much like middle managers. Their role is to provide cover from the hot sun at times and nurturing rain at other times. They should be nearly always visible. Managers should make sure the system is working well and that people are working effectively within it, just as clouds play a role in the flow of water from earth to sea to heaven and back. Middle management is often overlooked during the change management or implementation stages of a business transformation, and the important role of middle management in spurring grass roots motivation should not be underestimated.
Sun. Plants are phototropic, the shoots and leaves following the sunlight in their direction of growth. The sun is our source of free energy. Nearly all life as we know it depends on the sun. The leadership by example, strategic direction and encouragement of senior management can bring about some of the most powerful intrinsic motivation. It is certainly more powerful and effective long-term than leaders who blow like the icy north wind, chasing the clouds away and turning even the rain to snow.
When the sun is a distant rumor for much of the year as it is in Seattle, people either find ways to cope through other distractions and lesser stimulants, or they move away. The same can be said for organizations within which the senior leaders do not regularly shine their life-giving light upon the people.

What is skill matrix and before starting skill matrix what should be known?
Nice two-part question. The first part is relatively easy and has little to do with chickens. The skill matrix is a document that displays the names of people down the left side or Y axis and the skills of people typically across the top X axis. Each cell within the matrix contains a circle divided into 4 parts indicating differing levels of mastery of the skill or task. The skill matrix is used to visualize the level of cross training and workforce flexibility that has been achieved, as well as any gaps. This is useful because it allows people to develop their own skills, fill in for each other, and shift people to where there is a higher workload at any given time.
The image below is a simplified example. There are a few more articles in the archives which reference the skill matrix and may be useful.
What should be known before getting started with the skill matrix? This is not a simple question, and is somewhat context-dependent. In general we can say the following are true:
1. A basic level of 5S discipline is required. At the very least the organization must have the ability to maintain and use visuals that are posted.

2. Fundamental front-line supervision skills (and supervisors or team leaders who possess them) must be in place to support cross training. The TWI (Training Within Industry) model is preferred, and failing that at least the JI or job instruction module is needed, with the ability to perform job breakdown prior to designing training.
3. Standard work for repetitive operations or at least work instructions with credible standard times are needed to conduct cross-training objectively and effectively.
4. A compensation plan that is linked with employee development is needed. At the very least there should be a de-coupling of pay with direct output such as piece work, which too often does not lend itself to teamwork or promote the need for flow and cross training.
5. A clear purpose for using the skill matrix, linked to business objectives and the implementation of operational excellence systems. Like any tool, the skill matrix does not exist or provide much benefit when deployed in isolation or without consideration of the total organizational ecosystem.
It must be known whether these things are in place before safely starting to use the skill matrix. Of course we cannot always wait until conditions are perfect to start improving, so what must be known is ultimately the level of readiness and the level of risk associated any gaps in readiness.
But how can a lean implementation be like a chicken? I hear you ask. We could say that chickens are skittish, and easily scared away, as the expression “chicken!” implies. Or we can say that roosters are territorial and prone to peck at the heads of other chickens in certain conditions. But we are not going there today. To answer how lean implementations are like chickens, we need to understand how chickens sustain themselves. There are three key elements to understanding chicken sustenance:
1. Chickens have no teeth. Consequently, they cannot chew their food and break it down into easily digestible pieces. Is your lean implementation lacking teeth, or the ability to break big goals down into small, meaningful actions?

2. They stuff food down their throats. The chicken gizzard is a tube of muscle that moves the food to their stomachs, unchewed by teeth. Is your lean implementation being stuffed down your figurative throats?
3. Grit. Lacking teeth, chickens must eat small bits of rocks and sand, a.k.a grit, to break up their food. Does your lean implementation have grit? I don’t mean the rocky kind, but the kind that keeps you from giving up.
When embarking on any journey on a journey the answer we must know is to the most important question, “Do we have the organizational fortitude to persist in the face of failure?” So when asking, “Are we ready to get started with…” any improvement tool or program, consider how much like a chicken your organization may be. And put some grit in your organizational gizzard. Otherwise you may just lay an egg.

To encourage readers to become actively involved in the learning process, Learning to See contains a case study based on a fictional company – Acme Stamping. The reader begins by mapping the current state of the value stream and looks for all sources of waste in the value stream. After the waste identified, a map is developed with the projected future value stream. The workbook makes complicated concepts simple. It teaches reasons for introducing a mapping programme and how it fits into a Lean transformation.

With this easy to follow and engaging product, an organisation gets the tools it needs to understand a value stream mapping programme, so it can eliminate waste in its processes. Start the Lean journey and reduce waste that is costing your organisation money with value stream mapping.
Publisher – Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI)