DailyKaizen

I came into work this morning feeling like my head is completely full.  For the last two days we have had two visiting Sensei (as discussed in the last post) visiting the organization and helping us conduct a detailed check against the current capabilities of our management system as well as helping us think through how we will spread our Model Line success to other parts of the organization.  Much of the conversation was focused on developing a strategy for Hoshin Kanri, because we have CEO support to apply the methods and thinking of this management system to the broader organization this fall.   I thought I would share two of my personnel reflections on what I learned from the last two days:

My first reflection comes from the Model Line area and our review of the current management system.  During our check we spent more then half the first day in the Gemba talking to work teams that are busy implementing standard work.  It was exciting to see how far the front-line teams have come, but was obvious was that we have not sufficiently connected their efforts up through the hierarchy so that we have a clear line of site between the voice of our customers and the work that each employee does each day.  After asking why five times we think we found the reason that this gap exists.  We have focused a lot of energy on teaching the front-line teams as well as our senior leadership PDCA thinking and standard work, but we have not invested the same energy at the mid-level management level.   As the work and roles have changed at the frontline and at the top, mid-managers have struggled with how to manage in this different world.  In other words, we have not treated management like it is a process and as a result we have not required standard work for all levels of management. 

What was exciting about the gemba walks was how quickly the senior leaders were able to realize this gap.  After the Sensei asked the teams a couple of questions you could see the light going off in the Director’s minds.  As a countermeasure we need to act quickly to begin working with mid managers to define their standard work and how it connects with those above and below them.  By putting standard work in for management I am confident we will unlock a whole new set of opportunities that will come from additional flexibility, shared learning, deeper understanding and greater accountability.

My second reflection comes from where we are as a larger organization and what we need to do next.  For two years now we have applied Lean tools and methods with success.  With the Model Line we have taken our first step in applying Lean thinking as a transformational strategy to a part of our organization with even more success.  We are now at a decision point for the larger organization on where to go next, how far to go and what it means for our leaders and teams.  We have organization support for Hoshin Kanri, but there are choices to be made about what that means.  Will it be looked at as a set of tools and methods to cascade our plans or as a management system to build organizational capability?  There is a big difference in how we answer this question.  The Sensei used the analogy of explorers in Europe in the 1600s as they looked out over the ocean toward the new world.  The needed to make the decision if they should go or stay where it is comfortable.  If they went, there would be great challenges and great rewards.  If they stayed, they would stay.  Most importantly, if they made the decision to go they had to go all the way, because nothing was worse then getting stuck doing circles in the mid-Atlantic. 

I am confident that we will go, but it will be interesting to see!

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