Lean Leadership

3 Phases of a Lean Transformation

Success with a Lean Transformation program requires Lean Leadership. It takes leadership engagement to enjoy the tremendous benefits from a successful Lean program. Don’t be fooled by those claiming Lean is an easy bottom-up program which allows the leadership team to spend their days golfing.

Lean Leadership involves stepping up and doing what only members of the leadership team can do. Of course, Lean is about engaging all members of an organization. But the leadership team has the responsibility to provide a platform for empowered employees to learn what to do and have the authority to make the changes they see fit.

There are 3 critical phases of a Lean Transformation where the leadership team has special responsibilities. These 3 phases are:

1. Explore
2. Launch
3. Sustain

Let’s look closer at each of the 3 phases.

1. Explore

Before anything happens, the leadership team needs to explore options. Chances are someone has experience with Lean and is promoting it to the rest of the leadership team. Maybe there are several members of the leadership team with Lean experience. There might even be a member or two who have seen Lean crash and burn without making an impact.

Make no mistake, Lean is the #1 organizational improvement program in the world. It is also a program with a lot of variation. Some places do Lean right and see big benefits. Others listen to charlatans, cut corners, and go for the doomed chaotic cost cutting approach.

During the explore phase, each member of the leadership team should get educated on the latest material on Lean Transformation programs. This is the time to get on the same page. Don’t commit to a Lean Transformation program when members of the leadership team have a different understanding of what you are about to do.

The explore phase should conclude with a leadership team meeting where a shared vision is spelled out and everyone agrees they are on-board.

See the resources provided for getting the leadership team on the same page.

2. Launch

After the leadership team gets on the same page and commits to a Lean Transformation, you are ready to launch your program. This phase is a time of excitement. Leadership needs to be visible and engaged. The great news is how engagement by the leadership is all about being a leader. Everyone has a role and all of the roles are fun.

The launch activities will involve a burst of education and the initiation of Lean projects. You are now on the journey to craft a sustainable organization. The keys to a successful launch are quality education, project champions, and project scorecards. These keys to success should be coordinated by the Lean Program Director.

A failed launch means a failed Lean program and humiliation for all involved. Avoid “The 5 Horrors of Lean” by using the keys to success. Do not fall into the trap of picking simple sounding things which are not all that simple. Many of the simple things are only simple after the culture changes and empowered employees are engaged in problem solving and continuous improvement.

The launch phase should conclude with the leadership team announcing the shared vision and the initial plans for education and Lean projects.

See the resources provided for launching your Lean Transformation program.

3. Sustain

After launching your Lean program, it will be time to sustain the effort by making Lean activities the new normal. Projects, kaizen blitz events, and practicing the 5 principles of Lean will become routine. The way you run projects and continuous improvement activities is how you make that “cultural transformation” everyone always talks about.

For the leadership team, the ability to sustain your Lean program will require a shift to being a coach and a gemba walker. Coaches “unlock a person’s potential to maximize their own performance”. Gemba walkers go “to the actual place where value is created, with a goal to observe, listen, learn, and help”. For employees, sustaining the Lean program will require a shift to being ideal team players who exhibit the virtues known as “humble, hungry, and smart”.

Another aspect of sustaining your Lean Transformation program is to conduct an assessment every year. Your Lean Program Director could conduct this audit as input to the annual strategic planning procees. The results of the audit will drive course corrections where needed and justify celebrations as appropriate.

The sustain phase can conclude when you have crafted a sustainable organization. As we say in Colorado, “don’t get ahead of your skis”. This will take some time.

See the resources provided for sustaining your Lean Transformation program.

Summary

The 3 phases of a Lean Transformation program are “explore, launch, and sustain”. Each phase has unique responibilities for the leadership team at any organization.

During the explore phase, the leadership team needs to explore this thing called Lean and get on the same page about what it means to them. When it’s time to launch, the leaderhip team needs to promote education, become project champions, ensure there are great projects, and avoid the mistakes which too many others have made. During the sustain phase, leadership will become coaches and gemba walkers, while helping employees become ideal team players. The sustain phase is also the time for leadership to support the best practice of assessing the Lean program and making course corrections.