At its best Lean can be a powerful catalyst for cultural transformation. In the short term, its implementation can change the way teams interact and how they create and deliver value to the customer and each other. In the midterm, new processes beget new routines that together engender behavior change. Over time, if the Lean effort is sustained, that behavior change gives rise to the fabled continuous improvement mindset […]
Oftentimes my efforts to help client organizations improve performance involves assessing the impact of their culture on productivity. For example, despite the fact that many of our days are over stuffed with appointments and conference calls, we don’t typically feel like we’re getting enough done or doing enough well. This article from HBR sheds some light on why that is.
I get the idea behind incentive plans –reward employees for extra effort related to achieving some sort of organizational goal. Typically one that has been hard to come by.
Sometimes they work.
When expectations are VERY clear.
When the goal isn’t too complex.
When employees have enough autonomy to affect ANY issues in their path that impede performance.
Most of the time they don’t.
First, because the issues incentive programs are intended to fix, aren’t […]
If you’re in the Chelmsford area tomorrow, I’ll be presenting my thoughts on how conflict creates waste in the organization and how that – not just process – is ultimately what derails performance.The ASQ Merrimack is hosting the event. Check it out HERE.
I had the good fortune of attending and presenting at AME’s annual conference in Jacksonville last week. As is custom, the event provided a myriad of learning opportunities that I am pleased to say included more emphasis on how organizational culture impacts Continuous Improvement. I think more education, case studies and opportunities to explore the complex people side of the Continuous Improvement equation will have a huge impact on […]
An organization’s record of safety incidents represents more than a measure of how cautious its employees are in high risk environments or with high risk materials. This metric also directly corresponds to an organization’s values, management philosophy and priorities, employee engagement and culture as well as productivity (cost, quality, delivery) issues.
Isolated incidents aside, the recurrence of unsafe practices is not simply a story of individual or human error specifically. […]
If you’re interested in learning more about why Continuous Improvement doesn’t stick (and getting it to) check out my session at the Lean Systems Summit: Conflict Is The Root Of All Waste
I’ll be speaking on August 8th and would love to meet up if you plan on attending.
Check out the event overview here.
Check out the post event comments and presentation here.
As featured in the June 2014 issue of Effective Flow Magazine:
It’s the elusive goal behind every Continuous Improvement initiative: Every organization wants to become a high performing workplace. But what does this entail? How does one go about achieving it? How long does it take? I’ve spent my career answering these questions.
I have read countless tomes on the subject of business success and how to achieve it, benefited from […]
