What is the best thing anyone can do to introduce LEAN thinking into their compa

ny and what are the most common barriers to full implemenation?

Jim you don't provide a lot of specific information but I must assume that the s
election of lean is an appropriate choice to tackle important business issues in
this case - as any iniative that is not market driven should not be undertaken
and will unlikely receive the commitiment required.
Although you do say lean THINKING (rather than LEAN) a classical implementation
cannot address all issues but certainly can be used in a complementary fashion w
ith any other approach. I will indicate my experience in a brief summary.
The objectives of your apprach must not only be linked to the business, but in a
ddition, these need to be in the performance contracts of the executive manageme
nt team. Unless meeting these objectives is a dominant part of the reward system
there is no skin in the game.
The best way to introduce lean thinking is at the strategic level in the (end-to
-end) stategy execution process. The best way to stop wasting (capital and human
) resources is to deploy them more effectively by selecting the projects that al
ign with business goals and offer the best return on effort. Once these prioriti
es are understood and the quantum of benefits determined, they tend to focus att
ention. The next most effective thing to do is to ensure that projects selected
are well executed to achieve the strategic objectives and targets. Tracking of b
enefts and closing the loop are critical to build and maintain momentum. I desig
ned and implemented such a process for a European based bank last year during a
multidisciplinary project. The approach works particularly well for highly enabl
ed environments such as Telecos, Financial services ...
At the operational, level lean thinking is relatively easy to implement, especia
lly in areas where long throughput times are problematic and consistent turnarou
nds are important - such as administrative processes (paper factories eg claims
management, applications etc) and call centres. In the latter though, the qualit
y of the interaction is much more important than reducing the call time. So lean
thinking will help remove the fat quickly in a poorly managed operation but the
n the objective needs to change. In some ways a well-designed and primary operat
ing process may not even require the support of a call centre. They are rapidly
becomming 'fix it' shops.
Lean thinking can equally be applied to any other processes such as the primary
value chain (also a good choice of attention), new business development, new ser
vice development, as well as all governance and support processes.
It won't be possible to do much without a critical mass of skills and experience
. How this expertise is structured and organised requires more detail and is a t
opic in another discussion. The rule of thumb is that more the more self-suffiic
ient line managers can be the better.
perhaps it sounds simple ...but start with being on the shop floor and take your
time to watch how things are done , this is what I like to call SSAO ( stand st
ill and observe ) ...you will learn a lot and will be able to start small improv
ements . Then of course the step top start with is 5S ...but do not look or hand
le 5S as just a simple clean and well ordained workspace .... SMED , Pull and ot
her Lean tools can easily be part of a 5S project then project on itself . Setti
ng up clear SIPOC's will help you and of course VSM's...but I would recommend to
start with the simple things of which everybody can be part ...in this way you
can create a gradual growth, involvement and commitment of all workers ( all lev
els )
be aware that Lean is not just a pack of tools , but Lean is a culture which you
have to cultivate on the shop floor , important is that everybody speaks the sa
me language and I would like to keep the discussion somewhere in the middle if i
t should be managed top down or bottom up ( I've some very good experiences with
bottom up managing )
Lets make this really basic:
As the "introducee" you need be able to relate BOTH to the executives and the sh
op floor without either drawing a line from you to the other. This means you hav
e to be comfortable and confident either in the conference room or on the floor
AND you have to actively be in both places.
Now for barriers:
1)Managers who feel you're attacking them and how they work
2)Employees who've "heard of Lean and the resulting layoffs"
3)Executives that only want the cost reductions they hear about
4)All the above tie to: Lack of a culture of continuous improvement and mutual r
espect.
The best you can do is work WITH everyone. Teach managers how to get out of the
"Firefighter" job role and truly become leaders. Work hand-in-hand with employee
s doing 5S, setup reduction, layout improvements, etc. Guide executives in the p
hilosophy behind the tools of lean.
Lean is first and foremost built on Continuous Improvement and Respect for Peopl
e. Lean is focused on LONGTERM plans (in lean, 5 years is NOT longterm). If they
want monthly/quarterly drivers, they will do whatever is necessary to achieve t
hose short-term drivers. That is often opposite of lean (and the creator of the
infamous "hockey stick" performance chart).
Best of luck!
Agree with Luc Balens comments on culture of LEAN, beside this I think the most
importnat thing for success is your TRUST on LEAN. Initially you need to create
examples to boost the motivational level through implementation of success at sh
op floor. Some time you need FAKE examples as well.
Zafar Kamal
FAKE Examples !!! There is a lot of information available from similar industrie
s- please don t ever fake anything :-)
@ Jim, how about the 7w's ;-) simple, understandable, easy to teach and practice
s...you can eat all the low hanging fruits and also develop "the lean thinking"
The reason we do Lean or Six Sigma is to ensure we produce optimal level of qual
ity and optimal level of quality is what customer demands.
remember the basics. " Deliver customer what they want, When they want, Where th
ey want" We all know who said that right ? JW/GE........
For your deployment phase, please keep it very simple. Please do not use any FAK
E examples you need data to back that up!!
Best of luck
Khurram
I fully agree with Khurram , YUO CAN NOT FAKE examples while we always ask to ba
se everything on facts and figures . lots of tools can only work a healthy base
where people trust each other and where you do not have fear for conflicts .
keep it simple is an other basic rule ,there a so many simple tools which can do
the thing you want to do ....do not jump to complex 6Sigma tools if a simple SC
RA or PDCA can do it ... but most important of all , "just start by being on the
shop floor " , learn to listen to your shop floor people , you will see a lot ,
learn a lot and be able to make a lot of small changes together with the shop f
loor people .... do not look at the mountain , go to the mountain . A lot of int
eresting stuff can be found in the books of Sheba ...

LUC and Khurram, both of you are talking about step 2. What about step 1, someti
me you need to rely on incomplete SCOPE but on later stages by means of progress
ive elaboration, we can adjust it. Similar here FAKE means what? please refer co
de of ethics from PMI for better understanding. This is only for starting purpos
e, for LEAN initiation we need to have complete understanding of process not eve
n simple data. Also data refer to useful information only!
Zafar Kamal
Thank you all for the advice - all points that have been raised are greatly appr
eciated.
Lean Thinking is at its best, when it is focused on alignment;
- alignment of the business model with the needs and values of the Customer, and
- alignment of the internal business processes with the business model and with
each other.
If the business executive already firmly believe that their enterprise exists pu
rely and specifically to deliver value to their targeted Customers, then they wi
ll be very open to embracing Lean Thinking. Your main challenges will likely be
technical and timing issues, understanding and deploying the various tools.
If, on the other hand, the executive firmly believe that their enterprise exists
purely and specifically to deliver profit to the shareholders, then they may vi
ew Lean Thinking as being anywhere from perplexing to outright stupid. Your main
challenges will likely be political; you will not be able to deploy Lean Thinki
ng without first helping the executive to overcome some passionately held core b
eliefs.

Yes, the last two paragraphs may seem to be extreme and unfair generalizations,
but in my experience the conflict between these two orthogonal belief systems -
"focusing on delivering profits" and "focusing on delivering value" - is a major
root cause of all false starts and failures, on the road to Lean and Six-Sigma
deployments.
The irony, I find, is that decision making that is primarily focused on the deli
very of value - done well - can automatically ensure the delivery of profits. De
cision making that is primarily focused on the delivery of profits, on the other
hand, can actually lead to the inadvertent (and catastrophic) destruction of va
lue.
One interesting way to help profit-oriented executives to shift their paradigms
is to help them discover and embrace Strategy Maps (previously called "Balanced
Scorecards"), as defined by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton. Another might
be to help the executive to explore the merits of key enabling concepts like Lea
n Accounting and Data-Driven Decision-Making.
I hope the above provides useful thoughts.
If you would like to explore and challenge these thoughts further, I comment and
 post links to a variety of Lean Thinking resources that I find useful, on my bl
og site at: http://thinkersbluff.blogspot.com/search/label/Lean%20Thinking

All excellent comments. If I may add my two cents...

-Executives must really care about two things...the employee (safety, fairness,
trust, etc.), and creating value for the customer. In a lean culture, humility i
s imperative.
-Involve the employee beyond "let's make them think it's really their idea" and
really make them champions.
-Set relevant and compelling goals that all involved can really rally around and
drive hard together.
-Focus on the biggest constraint (read TOC here).
Start out with Lean Education. There are a lot of free (and low cost perhaps) re
sources to do this. Check out my other posts on this subject.
Agree with all before me, but also consider the bottom up approach by implementi
ng a Problem and Countermeasure System supported by robust Problem Solving. Some
times the shift in culture created through implementation of bottom up driven in
itiatives outweighs the value created by initiatives that are closely aligned wi
th strategic goals. By no means should the top down drive be forgotton, more so
a balanced approach of quick wins (that are worthwhile) with benefits to the wor
kforce as well as projects that create value for the organisation should be unde
rtaken.
Job site offering exclusive focus on the banking and railway. http://rojgars.w
ebs.com/bankingjobs.htm
Agree with all above.
It all starts with top management making an organizationwide "clear" statement o
f their absolute commitment to this new exciting and challenging journey.
Educate the lean principles and tools throughout the organization intensively an
d enforce a "DON'T JUDGE, DON'T BLAME" culture. Everybody should learn to see th
e wastes and be able to bring them out openly without (negative) consequences.
Have a dedicated "change agent" reporting straight to the top management and hav
ing their unconditionally support. (protect him/her from political games)
Get a good understanding of your customers (internal and external) who are they
and what are their needs.
Communicate all the changes throughout the organization, everybody must be aware
of what is going on and feel part of it.
Never fire anyone as a result of an improvement, re-deploy and/or make them part
of the continuous improvement process. (Fire them and your lean journey comes t
o an end).
Reduce the number of employees by not replacing them when they leave the company
for whatever reason.
And at last:
Be aware that there is no such thing as a full lean implementation.
It s a journey that starts but never ends.
succes.
In my experience, I have found it difficult to get top level support to mandate
a top down approach in most cases. Even if you have that, the middle layers of m
anagement need to buy in before they will really put forth an honest effort to m
ake it a success. I find that it is far more effective to engage with the manage
ment and understand what their goals are, and what they are being measured on. T
hen influence them to try applying lean concepts on their processes using kaizen
events. The people involved in the kaizen receive just-in-time trianing in lean
, and the debriefs and report-outs to the management serve as educational approa
ches for the management. By getting improvements, reducing costs, eliminating wa
ste through these projects, lean makes the case for itself, energizes the people
, and proves to be a benefit to the management. This leads to buy in and active
implementaiton. You pick up allies through this and other managers see the benef
its their peers are receiving in achieivng their goals, and therefore gain inter
est. This process works well...
Yes, I know it is difficult, but if you succeed in getting top level support, th
e penetration will be far greater.
By starting in the middle one creates a big risk of practicing "Kamikaze Kaizen"
.
All improvements should serve a common goal. (True North)
This True north is set by the overall Vision / Mission / Strategy (Top managemen
t)
It is important to practice strategy deployment in order to align all these effo
rts.
By embedding the Lean principles and journey into the mission and strategy of th
e company, the middle management goals and deliverables will most likely support
the lean journey.
Nevertheless you are totally right that it is key to engage the middle managemen
t and win their trust and support.
Geert, I don't disagree. That is why I stated that you need to address the goals
of the managers and how they are being measured. The intent there is to ensure
that the projects focused on are important to the organization and aligned to th
e strategic objectives and vision. However, that being said, I agree with you th
at a formal and systematic structure of deploying the strategic initatives throu
gh the organization and ensuring alignment of the lean iniitatives to achieving
those goals is the best approach. In fact, it would be great to have a strategic
initative such as institutionalizing continuous improvement, to ensure focus an
d deployment.
Jim, I think the best thing you can do to introduce lean thinking into a company
is to show how lean can eliminate waste, reduce costs and not eliminate jobs.

my thoughts order of importance for sustaining long term CI for lean - define co
mpany values - this help define culture. Culture typically defines strategy. Str
ategy defines tactics which intern governs operational activity.
Value and culture are a life time metric for CI. Problems may be present in all
these above categories
Consider using the A3 process to help solve these problems, and create buy in fr
om key stakeholders in each area.
One resource that I find helpful, when looking for effective guidance on how to
manage change is the Vital Smarts team. (Authors of Crucial Confrontations, Cru
cial Conversations, and Influencer).
In the latest free email newsletter, author Joseph Grenny counsels someone who w
rites, "I was recently asked to lead an effort to implement job rotation in our
organization. The problem is that the team I've been asked to lead thinks it's a
dumb idea. They are focused on their own jobs and have no interest in cross-tra
ining and rotation. How am I supposed to lead change when those leading with me
don't see the value?"
Although the specifics vary, this type of question often arises, with the introd
uction of any new initiative. I find it helpful to be reminded, once in a while,
that we need to use more than one strategy to successfully lead the people in o
ur organization through any significant change. We also need to continually cult
ivate and test our own "emotional intelligence", lest we find that our noble cha
nge leadership mission has become - in our own minds - a "crusade against the ba
rbarians".
I recommend this newsletter and its authors to everyone who strives to lead chan
ge.
http://now.eloqua.com/es.asp?s=567&e=99451&elq=76be0bf177334090b330a70a406c3ba9
Dear Steve,
There are three Ways to Lead Lean
I call the three most common paths to Lean implementation in the United
States the path of the monk, the general, and the fashion model.
Those who choose the path of the monk study Lean. They read books about
Lean, take training courses, and perhaps gain a certification. Their knowledge o
f
the theory grows and eventually they find themselves participating or leading a
Lean effort. Like the monk, they are focused on studying and developing their
own understanding and skill rather than concerning themselves with the worldly
community at large (the rest of the company). Few of their coworkers have their
depth and breadth of understanding or their command of the language and
tools of Lean. Even if their project is a success, it is not likely to spread or
sustain
itself. It has been too insular and isolated. Perhaps there has been too much
emphasis on theory and the purity of Lean and not enough on just going out
there, getting started, and enlisting the contributions and insights, even the u
ntutored
ones, of others.
Generals decide that there shall be Lean. They develop a strategy and
detailed operations plan, carefully select a team, set objectives, provide fundi
ng
and resources, and launch their attack. It is highly likely that they will
succeed at first. They have too much talent, resources, and publicity to fail.
Mission Accomplished banners pop up in the corporate communications
documents. A year later, most likely, it will be forgotten and people will have
moved on.
The general has made the fundamental mistake of turning Lean into a
project. It is not. Lean is a way of working and, unless fully inculcated into t
he
right workforce, it will not be sustainable. The handpicked team of hotshots
selected will get a tick in the box and paragraph on their resume and move on
to new challenges. Even if the managers and workers retain the Lean improvements
that were developed, they are not likely to build upon them and make
that a fundamental approach to work. They will be trying to support the next
big project.
The fashion model s approach is the right way to see a Lean project. They,
and their attire, are ahead of the trends. Fashion models very publicly display
these leading concepts. No coercion, no management fiat a simple subtext
that you, too, could be like this if you try. Fashion models are highly networke
d
influencers. If others adopt their fashions, they will not quibble about
the correctness of their interpretation. What matters is that they try to active
ly
seek continuous improvement.
First step to Lean is training and awareness on Lean concepts to all involved. I
mportant is to remember that it is a team effort. Thereafter you are ready to id
entify various types of wastes in the process in a collective approach involving
all level of employees. After that comes choice of tools.
 Hi Steve,
This year I have been addressing this issue for real as I work to introduce Lean
into one of my companies European facilities. My approach was to begin at the t
op of the organisation with awareness presentations to all white collar workers
and managers / departmental heads. I then moved onto the blue collar guys and ga
ve them the exact same briefings; everyone got the same message so no misunderst
anding of the intention or focus.
Now I am in the risk phase as I work to sustain the training and implementation
effort. My role is no longer teacher / trainer, but facilitator and champion. Th
e risk of failure is at its highest as people see the training having been compl
eted and expect instant results, when they don t come the effort can loose support
; plus the interest amongst the team members drops. The other risk is that some
aspects work well and these are pursed, whilst the less successful areas are lef
t by the wayside. This leads to the Cherry Picking approach and the holistic app
roach of Lean and its benefits are missed.
In summary I believe the delivery of a good Lean message, supported by training
for all, followed by a commitment to follow through on the results, even when th
ings are not going well, will deliver. The obstacles are lack of clear direction
, lack of training and on going support for team members and, lack of management
commitment and support beyond the early success phase.
It ultimately comes down to assessing the corporate culture to appropriately gai
n engagement and buy-in. There after, it will be ones responsibility to plan a s
trategy, then execute the implementation plan. It may be in phases and managemen
t level driven to bottom up or dual top and bottom up driven. Some organizations
prefer a slow non-shock approach, others simply jump in full throttle. It is al
ways contingent upon the business culture and model.
As a lean corporate lead, demonstrating successful outcomes with management enga
gement to see real gains will enable upper and middle management buy-in. This wi
ll ease the resource constraint relief for future discipline integration and sus
tainment.
SMART objectives may be a way to initially or later gain more corporate engageme
nt linked to corporate goals and objective needs per operational unit. Various l
evels of project complexity can be planned, depending on the level of the staff
and discipline experience stage. Again, some organizations are well versed in th
is, while others shy away from this for a more liberal working environment.
I found a key element to always help, to clearly spell out the behavior sought w
ithin a team project to enable a mutual and rewarding outcome. They can be up fr
ont positive rules, respect, assertive communication, a tangible object to break
the ice, or to provide order, etc. Our attitudes ultimately have a great deal t
o contribute towards success. One must demonstrate those behaviors as the leader
. Thereafter, a more flawless lean application will abound.
Several others have already provided very good points to be considered as well.