When leading with Lean you have a responsibility to understand the benefits & principles of the philosophy not only for the organisation itself, but for all stakeholders involved.
Defining a Lean Organisation
A Lean organisation strives to eliminate waste and focus on providing value to the customer. This translates into increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, which in turn drives business growth. For employees, Lean provides a framework for personal and professional development, fosters a culture of teamwork, and promotes a sense of ownership and pride in their work.
Communicating the Vision For Lean Success
As a leader, it is important to communicate the vision of Lean and how it benefits all stakeholders. This helps to create buy-in and commitment from all levels of the organisation, making it more likely that the Lean initiative will be successful.
To successfully implement Lean principles within your organisation, it is crucial to create an environment where continuous improvement is part of every role at every level in every function. This means that everyone from the top down is empowered to identify opportunities for improvement, take ownership of them, and work collaboratively to implement solutions.
In a Lean organisation, there is a shared responsibility for driving improvement and eliminating waste. Leaders need to create a culture that supports experimentation and learning, where employees feel comfortable taking risks and trying new things. This is not only essential for driving continuous improvement, but also for creating a culture of innovation that can help the organisation stay ahead of the competition.
How to Communicate When Leading With Lean
Effective communication mechanisms are key to achieving these goals. The use of tiered meetings, leader standard work, and collaborative project and problem-solving activities help to facilitate the sharing of information and ideas across all levels of the organisation. Tiered meetings ensure that all levels of the organisation are aligned and working towards a common goal.
Leader standard work provides a framework for leaders to manage their time and priorities, and ensures that everyone is aware of what is expected of them. Collaborative project and problem-solving activities help to break down silos and encourage cross-functional collaboration.
By regularly reviewing performance, identifying problems, and working collaboratively to solve them, leaders can create a culture of continuous improvement and ensure that everyone is working towards a common goal.
To fully harness the potential of Lean, it is important to empower and enable employees and leaders to contribute directly to strategy. In a Lean organisation, everyone has a stake in the success of the business. By encouraging a collaborative approach to strategy development, leaders can ensure that everyone is invested in the process and committed to the success of the business.
This also helps to create a culture of shared responsibility and accountability, where everyone is working together towards a common goal. Leaders need to create an environment that encourages creativity, innovation, and experimentation. By giving employees the freedom to try new things and providing the support and resources they need to be successful, leaders can help to create a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
A Connected Framework For Leading With Lean
By keeping the above top-of-mind everyday, leaders can create an environment where continuous improvement is part of every role, implement effective communication mechanisms, and empower everyone to contribute towards strategy deployment. This CI culture is key to daily operational efficiency, and achieving long-term success
Lean is not just a set of isolated tools and techniques - it is a way of thinking and a way of working that requires commitment and dedication from all levels of the organisation.
If you’re a business in need (or a consultant with clients in need) and you'd like to explore the opportunities that digital-aids to Lean tools provide organisation leaders contact us for a demonstration of the TeamAssurance platform today.
