There Must be a Top Dog

I had a "going back to basics" experience this week. From Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon, I performed a lean workshop at a supplier's facility (I was one of five team members). The purpose of the activity was to train the supplier in lean principles and develop a roadmap for the supplier to follow on a journey to lean.

For the most part, the visit went well. But, there was something missing. Our team was full of vigor as we shared our knowledge and experiences on becoming lean. The supplier was listless. There was no umphh! to their actions. After the first day, it was clear that they were appeasing us and waiting for our departure.

We became extremely frustrated and eventually left early. So, what happened? First, let me say that the company was already applying lean principles. A 5s initiative was underway and cleanliness audits were being performed. What was obvious was the lack of commitment to that which was started. Regarding the audits, several had been done and the opportunities for improvement were being flushed out for management to see. But nothing was being done with the data.

Lesson learned (again): The plant manager does not really buy in to this "lean stuff". He sees value in it but has not made it a priority for the organization. To work effectively, lean thinking(or any change) must soak into your culture. Easier said that done, right? Yes, it is hard and will take time. There must be constancy of purpose and this must come from the top dog. If he lives it, so will everyone else. If this is missing, lean will be nothing more that a flavor of the month.