LEAN CULTURE
Organizational Readiness
YOUR TIME TO RELAX
WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE?
“The sum of habits people rely on to get
things done. Culture also sums up things a
member of a work group needs to know to
comply with in order not to be seen as
deviant by other members”-Creating a Lean
Culture by David Mann
The way we do things around here!
SHARE…
What are some of the habits that describe your
organization's culture?
QUESTIONS THAT HELP TO DEFINE CULTURE
What metrics tell task experts that they are
meeting expectations?
How often does management look at the
status of work metrics?
Who is involved in process-improvement
activities in this area?
What is the typical response when problems
arise?
WHY….
….does culture need to change in a lean
enterprise?
Not because lean is so difficult but because
lean is so different.
CULTURES CONTRIBUTION TO LEAN
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN CULTURE:
PRIMARY BUSINESS
Traditional
Product-centric
strategy
 Focus on exploiting
economies of scale
of stable product or
service

Lean
Customer-focused
strategy
 Focus on
identifying and
exploiting shifts in
competitive
advantage

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN CULTURE:
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Traditional
Hierarchical
structure along
functional lines
 Encourage
functional
alignments and
following orders
 Inhibits
information
highlighting
deviations

Lean
Flat, flexible
organizations along
line of value
creation
 Encourages
individual initiative
 Encourages flow of
information that
highlights
deviations

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN CULTURE:
OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK
Traditional
Application of tools
along division of
labor
 Follow orders
 Few problemsolving skills

Lean
Application of tools
assuming standardized
work
 Strength in problem
identification, hypothesis
generation, and
experimentation

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN CULTURE:
WORK STATUS
Traditional
Checked at end of
shift
 Checked by
supervisor, higher
level managers
 Scrutinized
monthly

Lean
Checked by team leaders
several times per hour
 Checked by supervisor
four or more times per
shift
 Checked by Value
Stream Manager once or
twice per shift
 All involved review
previous day’s
performance

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN CULTURE:
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Traditional
Made by technical
project teams
 Changes must be
specifically
“chartered”
 No changes between
“official” projects

Lean
Routinely initiated by
anybody, including
task experts
 Regular, structured
vehicle encourages
both input and
involvement
 Improvement occurs
more or less all the
time, continuously

MASS VERSUS LEAN CULTURE:
PROBLEM SOLVING
Traditional
Do whatever it takes to
take care of today’s
numbers
 Work around the
problem; just meet the
daily/weekly/monthly
goals

Lean
Record immediate
circumstances of the
miss, interruption or
breakdown
 Put temporary
countermeasures in
place
 Assign tasks to
eliminate root cause
of problems

EVALUATE
Which characteristic represents the greatest
gap in your organization between current
culture and lean culture?
Working with partners identify specific
actions that might be taken to close the gap.
CULTURAL INERTIA
“A body in motion tends to stay in motion”
In what ways does culture tend to become
self-sustaining within an organization?
What happens to those in the organization
not following the norms of the culture?
What hints might this offer to changing
culture?
REMEMBER…..
Just as a pig with lipstick is still a pig…
….an organization with a traditional
culture using lean tools is still a traditional
organization.
QUESTIONS….
How many of you have quit smoking or
another habit?
How many of you have quit only once?
Why were initial efforts defeated?
CONSIDER….
The same is true in changing habits of a
traditional organization:


Breaking a habit implies sudden change,
often with minimal or no support
Extinguishing a habit implies planned,
paced change with ongoing support, and a
clear new habit to replace the old habit
REMEMBER…
…..when problems arise or when confronting
the first sign of trouble people will revert to
old habits.
HABITS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO
EXTINGUISH
Focus primarily on department efficiency
and performance metrics.
 Look to lay blame or “find the guilty party”
when errors occur or problems arise.
 Discuss performance metrics primarily
with peers or “up” the organization.
 Require task experts to work within their
job descriptions and strictly adhere to
chain of command.
 Work around today’s problem and let
tomorrow take care of itself.
 Leave improvement to experts instead of
listening to task expert suggestions.

SHARE….
What is the most difficult habit for your
organization to extinguish?
Why is this the case?
What habit needs to replace it?
How can change to new habit best be
supported?
DEFINING A LEAN CULTURE







Maintaining an unrelenting focus on providing
customer value
Adopting a philosophy of continuous,
incremental improvement
Providing exactly what is needed at the right
time, based on customer demand
Keeping things moving (flow)-in a value-added
effective manner
Using techniques for reducing variation and
waste
Respecting people
Lean Culture
Taking the long-term view
SHARE….
….to what extent do these characteristics
define your current culture?
Lean Culture
LEAN CULTURE
Process Focus
TRADITIONAL APPROACH
Kahuna
Manager A
Manager B
Manager C
Manager D
SYSTEMS APPROACH
Kahuna
Manager A
Manager B
Manager C
Process A
Process B
Process C
Manager D
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
Traditional
Independent
 “Leave me alone”
 “We do whatever it
takes to get the job
done, I know who to
rely on in crunch
time
 “I define my own
methods”

Lean
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
(CONTINUED)
Traditional
Results are the
focus, do what it
takes
 Managed by the pay
or bonus system
 Improvement is
somebody else’s job,
not mine

Lean
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
Traditional
Independent
 “Leave me alone”
 “We do whatever it
takes to get the job
done, I know who to
rely on in crunch
time
 “I define my own
methods”

Lean
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
Traditional
Independent
 “Leave me alone”
 “We do whatever it
takes to get the job
done, I know who to
rely on in crunch
time
 “I define my own
methods”

Lean

Interdependent
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
Traditional
Independent
 “Leave me alone”
 “We do whatever it
takes to get the job
done, I know who to
rely on in crunch
time
 “I define my own
methods”

Lean
Interdependent
 “I’m part of a team

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
Traditional
Independent
 “Leave me alone”
 “We do whatever it
takes to get the job
done, I know who to
rely on in crunch
time
 “I define my own
methods”

Lean
Interdependent
 “I’m part of a team
 There’s defined process
and procedure for
pretty much
everything, follow the
process

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
Traditional
Independent
 “Leave me alone”
 “We do whatever it
takes to get the job
done, I know who to
rely on in crunch
time
 “I define my own
methods”

Lean
Interdependent
 “I’m part of a team
 There’s defined process
and procedure for
pretty much
everything, follow the
process
 Methods/procedures
are standardized

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
(CONTINUED)
Traditional
Results are the
focus, do what it
takes
 Managed by the pay
or bonus system
 Improvement is
somebody else’s job,
not mine

Lean
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
(CONTINUED)
Traditional
Results are the
focus, do what it
takes
 Managed by the pay
or bonus system
 Improvement is
somebody else’s job,
not mine

Lean

Process focus is the
key to consistent
results
TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
(CONTINUED)
Traditional
Results are the
focus, do what it
takes
 Managed by the pay
or bonus system
 Improvement is
somebody else’s job,
not mine

Lean
Process focus is the
key to consistent
results
 Managed by
expectations

TRADITIONAL VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
(CONTINUED)
Traditional
Results are the
focus, do what it
takes
 Managed by the pay
or bonus system
 Improvement is
somebody else’s job,
not mine

Lean
Process focus is the
key to consistent
results
 Managed by
expectations
 Improvement is
everyone’s job

SHARE….
…..Where does your organization lie along
the continuum? Why did you place the
organization where you did?
Traditional
Focus
Lean
Focus
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Why all the focus on process with lean; after
all isn’t it results that pays the bills?
CAPABILITIES OF LEAN




Capability #1: Work is designed as a series
of ongoing experiments that immediately
reveal problems
Capability #2: Problems are addressed
immediately through rapid
experimentation
Capability #3: Solutions are disseminated
adaptively through collaboration
Capability #4: People at all levels of the
organization are taught to become
experimentalists
Source: Lean Hospitals, Mark Graban
CAPABILITIES OF LEAN

Capability #1: Work is designed as a series of
ongoing experiments that immediately reveal
problems
“Work is designed” means that work is not random,
inconsistent, or haphazard, but is standardized
 Standard work does not mean carved in stone,
instead it means best known method currently
known with expectation for frequent changes
 Problems and non-standard work becomes highly
visible

Source: Lean Hospitals, Mark Graban
CAPABILITIES OF LEAN

Capability #2: Problems are addressed
immediately through rapid
experimentation
Work arounds to mask the problems should be
discouraged
 When a problem is discovered it should be
addressed immediately, at the source
 A structured but simple approach (PDCA) is
used to quickly address the problem

Source: Lean Hospitals, Mark Graban
CAPABILITIES OF LEAN

Capability #3: Solutions are disseminated
adaptively through collaboration
Successful solutions in one unit must be shared
across the organization
 A mechanism for ongoing and rapid
collaboration needs to be created
 Collaboration can extend to other providers

Source: Lean Hospitals, Mark Graban
CAPABILITIES OF LEAN

Capability #4: People at all levels of the
organization are taught to become
experimentalists
Problems should be addressed and solved at the
lowest level of the organization possible
◦ Problem solving and team dynamic skills need
to be developed
◦
Source: Lean Hospitals, Mark Graban
CONSIDER….
What actions could your organization take
to overcome identified challenges to
developing the lean capabilities in your
organization?
ELEMENTS OF LEAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Daily
Accountability
Visual
Controls
Standard
Work
Discipline
DEFINITIONS
Value Stream: The flow of materials and
information through a process to provide a
product or service to a customer; including
operations and equipment needed.
Value Stream Manager: In an organization
structure designed most fully to reflect lean
philosophy, all the support groups related
to making a value stream operate would
report on a solid line to Value Stream
Manager.
VALUE STREAM APPROACH
Kahuna
Dept. A
Dept. B
Dept. C
VSM A
Value Stream A
VSM B
Value Stream B
VSM C
Value Stream C
Manager D
VALUE STREAM APPROACH
Kahuna
Reception
VSM A
Registration
Value Stream A
Phlebotomy
CREATE…
…an organizational chart for your
organization that incorporates a Value
Stream Manager
SHARE…
….your organizational chart that
incorporates Value Stream Manager
….challenges to the concept of Value Stream
Manager within your organization
LEAN CULTURE
Standard Work for Leadership
Note: Slides in this section adapted from
“Creating a Lean Culture” by David Mann
YOUR TIME TO RELAX
ROLE OF STANDARD WORK FOR
LEADERSHIP
Standard work provides the structure and
routine that shifts focus away from results
only to an emphasis on process and results
 Standard work for leadership models the
behavior that is expected at task level
 Helps organization highlight leaders
seemingly unable to make the transition
 As the engine driving lean management it is
the single greatest leverage tool available

Standard
Work
STANDARD WORK AT VARIOUS LEVELS
Leadership Role
Standard Work
Percentage

Team Leaders
80%

Supervisors
50%

Value Stream Manager
25%

Facilities Manager
10%
INTERLOCKING LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
Lean Management System
Executive Standard Work
VSM Standard Work
Supervisor Standard Work
Team Leader Standard Work
Standardized Lean Process
A DUAL FOCUS
Misses to standard are elevated as
improvement opportunities
 Focus is on improvement, not blame

Results
LEADER STANDARD WORK
Team Leader: Standard work is based on maintaining
output at takt time and ensuring that standard work is
being followed in the process
 Supervisor: Standard work is based on monitoring and
supporting Team Leader in carrying out their
responsibilities for standard work
 Value Stream Manager: Standard work is based on
monitoring and supporting the supervisor in following
their standard work
 Executive Level: Verify chain of standard work is being
upheld and process is being supported for stability and
improvement

DAILY AND PERIODIC STANDARD WORK

Team Leader: Once Daily






Check call ins, Adjust labor plan
Lead team start-up meeting (5-10 minutes)
Supervisor/Team Leader meeting (5-15 minutes)
Gemba walk with Supervisor
Supervisor/Team Leader meeting,
accountability and improvement (5-15 minutes)
Daily (weekly) continuous improvement
meeting with team
Next day planning
Labor plan
 Prep for start-up meeting

DAILY AND PERIODIC STANDARD WORK

Team Leader: Many Times Daily
Verify takt performance
Record reasons for variation
 Note and act on flow interruptions


Monitor standard work at each station
Check compliance
 Reinforce, correct performance as needed


Revise standard work as needed
DAILY AND PERIODIC STANDARD WORK

Supervisor: Once DailyShift change coordination
 Daily administrative tasks
 Attend a Team Leader start-up meeting
 Lead Supervisor/Team Leader meeting (5-15 minutes)

Misses, issues, improvements
 Daily task board due and new items

Attend weekly recurring facilities level meetings
 Gemba walk with Team Leaders one-on-one
 Verify sign off on takt performance
 Review status of other visuals

DAILY AND PERIODIC STANDARD WORK

Supervisor: Many Times DailySpot check standard work in each Team Leaders’
area
 Floor time (MWA)

DAILY AND PERIODIC STANDARD WORK

Value Stream Manager:Daily





Daily administrative tasks
Night shift Gemba walk
Lead value stream task/improvement meeting
(10-20 minutes)
Daily Gemba walk with one Supervisor
Formal audit of one area
Attend weekly recurring facilities level
meetings
DAILY AND PERIODIC STANDARD WORK

Value Stream Manager: Many Times DailySpot-check sign off of takt time performance
 Spot-check other visuals
 Spot-check standard work in each department
 Floor time (MWA)

DAILY AND PERIODIC STANDARD WORK

Executive: Daily (When Present)Review performance trend charts
 Spot-check takt time performance sign off and other
visuals
 Lead weekly performance/improvement meetings
 Spot-review process and product improvement work
 Verify leaders’ standard work
 Verify Team Leaders and Supervisors on floor and
why not?
 Gemba walk each VSM, staff manager weekly


Executive: Many Times Daily

Floor time (MWA)
CHECKLISTS ASSIST IN…..
…..organizing standard leadership work
…..verifying standard work
…..documenting performance
CONSIDER…..
….how does this list of standard work differ
from how leadership work gets done in your
organizations?
….what are some of the obstacles to standard
leadership work in your organizations?
GEMBA WALKS
Definition and Purpose: Literally “the real
place”
Gemba walks are a primary tool for
teaching and reinforcing lean principles.
The sensei and student walk together
with the sensei asking what they see (or
don’t see) as a way of getting them to see
differently. Gemba walks often include
follow up actions based on student’s
insights gained during the walk.
Gemba walks focus on the coaching
practice of asking, not telling
CONSIDER….
How might the Gemba walk be implemented
in your organization?
How would it work?
How would it look?
PRACTICE TIME…..


Imagine a coaching opportunity in your
work unit
Consider the series of questions that you
might ask to yield the answer that contains
the information you were attempting to
communicate
Effective coaching involves thought
transmission
LEAN CULTURE
Visual Controls
Note: Slides in this section adapted from
“Creating a Lean Culture” by David Mann
VISUAL CONTROLS…..
…..are the Litmus Test of a Lean Enterprise
Visual
Controls
WHY…..
……visual controls?
Visual
Controls
WHY…..
……visual controls?

Maintain process focus



Expected versus actual
Waste, problems, and abnormal conditions
become readily apparent to all
Highlights opportunities for improvement
VISUAL CONTROL REINFORCE LEAN CULTURE
Speed: no waste needing to look for information
 Improvement: progress evident for all to see and
to celebrate
 Making problems apparent: pitch boards, andons
 Involvement: establishes ownership of the
numbers
 Teamwork: making team work visible
 Standardization: keeping standards up to date by
locating in the workplace
 Responsiveness: requires quick response to
problems

Source: The Lean Toolbox by Bicheno and Holweg
VISUAL MANAGEMENT TRIANGLE
Seeing as a Group
•Service Delivery Status
•Inventory Levels
•Process Flow
Knowing as a Group
•Delivery Commitments
•Goals and Schedules
•Management Rules
•Standard Work
Acting as a Group
•Consensus on Rules,
Objectives and Standard
Work
•Involvement in
Improvement Activities
Source: Lean Production Simplified by Pascal Dennis
CONSIDER…..
…How well do task experts in your organization
know:
If they are on schedule to takt time
 If the organization is making or losing money
 Know status of improvement efforts
 Know service delivery performance
 Know status of projects
 Etcetera

TAKT TIME EXAMPLE
Outpatient Blood Draw
(8 hours x 60 min.) – (2 x 15 min.)
50 Blood Draws
=
450 min.
=
50 Blood Draws
9 min./
Blood Draw
VISUAL CONTROL EXAMPLES
Pitch Tracking Chart or Board
 Customer (patient) Feedback
 Priority Board
 Daily Accountability Board
 A-3 Project Plan
 Cross-Training Matrix
 Suggestion System Idea Board
 Standard Work Methods and Updates
 5S Responsibilities and Audit Results
 Company Financials

BRAINSTORM….
What types of visual controls might be
incorporated in your lean enterprise?
Remember: gaps in the visual record or nonstandard performance is addressed in the
Gemba walk
CONSIDER….
….Enterprise wide information systems may be
a step backwards in terms of lean
MANUAL VISUAL VS. IT PROVIDED
Attribute
Manual Visual
IT Provided
Information
Timeliness
Current as of last pitch Current as of last report
run
Information
Accessibility
Available to all
Available to those with
computer
Information
Precision
Not always, reporting
periods may be missed
Absolutely, regardless of
accuracy
Information
Verification
Usually close by to
facilitate verification
Usually remote and nonverifiable
Prompt
Questions?
Yes, often asked and
Usually only what is asked
answered where posted in report
Easy to
Change?
Yes, easily changed or
customized as needed
Not usually, usually
requires IT or vendor
MANUAL VISUAL VS. IT PROVIDED (CONTINUED)
Attribute
Manual Visual
IT Provided
Intimidation
Factor
Very low, as difficult as Can be quite intimidating
using crayons
Ownership
Information is owned
and resides in area
Information taken away
and transformed
Information
Availability
Only at point of
origination
Throughout IT network-a
definite strength
Computation
Accuracy
Prone to human error
Accuracy assured-a
definite IT strength
Overhead
required
Virtually none, pens
and highlighters
Thousands, perhaps
millions for equipment,
departments, consultants,
and troubleshooting
CONSIDER…..
…..how might data being currently supplied
by IT be made more available to all in your
organization?
…..how might needed information not
currently being supplied by IT be supplied
manually?
THINK ABOUT…..
…..what might be some traps involved in using
visual controls in your organization?
DAILY ACCOUNTABILITY…..
Daily
Accountability
YOUR TIME TO RELAX
RESULTS VERSUS LEAN FOCUS
Results
Do whatever it takes
to make targets
 Did you meet the
target?
 Bureaucratic
 Lengthy, infrequent
 Results oriented
 Determine who’s to
blame

Lean
Maintain and
improve process
 What caused the
problem?
 Participative
 Daily
 Process oriented
 Determine root
cause of problem

SHARE…..
…..meeting strategy within your organization

Who meets?

Where do meetings take place?

How long does meeting last?

What is the content?
THREE-TIER MEETINGS



Tier 1: Brief meeting held at beginning of
shift with team leader and team members
Tier 2: Supervisor meeting with team
leaders and any dedicated support group
representatives
Tier 3: Value Stream Manager or equivalent
meeting with supervisors and support
group representatives or staff members
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEAN MEETINGS

Brevity-Rarely more than 15 minutes

Posture-Standing up


Location-On or immediately adjacent to and
not physically separate from where work
gets done
Agenda and Content-Defined by the visual
display board
3 “A”S OF LEAN MEETINGS



Assessment: Based on data captured on
visual controls
Assignment: For corrective action and/or
improvement
Accountability: For having completed
previous day’s assignments
TIER ONE MEETINGS
Team Leader and Team
 Focus on today’s assignments and things of
note that day
 Updates yesterday’s performance and
actions for misses
 Summary of externally supported projects
 Periodic topic specific (quality, 5S, safety,
etc.)
 Highly interactive with balanced
participation
 Uses “pull” communication to avoid
information dump
TIER TWO MEETINGS
Supervisor and Team Leaders
 Led by the supervisor
 Dual focus of running the business and
improving the business
 Review of summary performance data for
service, quality, safety, delivery, and cost as
well as reasons for misses
 Review of assignment status on visual task
assignment board
TIER THREE MEETINGS
Value Stream Leader with Supervisors and
Support Groups
 Trend charts for service, quality, safety,
delivery, and cost are reviewed
 Improvement assignments are made based
on evaluation of the tracking data
 Due and overdue items are reviewed
 Support group assignments are made
directly by VSM without going through
functional department head
MAINTAINING ASSIGNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
Original due dates never change
BRAINSTORM…
…challenges to the three-tier meeting strategy
LEAN CULTURE
Discipline to Sustain a Lean Culture
Note: Slides in this section adapted from
“Creating a Lean Culture” by David Mann
ELEMENTS OF LEAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Daily
Accountability
Visual
Controls
Standard
Work
Discipline
GEMBA WALKS
As a discipline used to sustain lean
culture, Gemba walks help the
organization to stay on “true north”-the
pathway to perfection.
There is an old adage in business that says
what gets measured gets done; Gemba
walks suggest that what gets noticed gets
done well and gets improved.
IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
PROCESS FOCUS
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Tracking charts
showing expected and
actual
 Tracking charts
initialed by supervisor
twice daily
 Reasons for misses
noted on tracking
chart

How are you doing
hitting your goals?
 How can you tell if
daily and weekly tasks
are getting done?
 (Leader) What is the
schedule for Gemba
walks? What happens
on typical walk?

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Top 3-5 reasons for
misses documented
and visible
 Summary project
plans (A3s) for
improvement posted
and current
 Employee suggestions
and status and action
is posted

What are the three
biggest problems in the
area?
 How do you know these
are the biggest problems?
 How do you know work
being done on these
problems?
 What is the method for
task experts to make
suggestions?

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT (CONTINUED)
What People Should
Know
What You Should See

A visual daily task
assignment and
accountability process
in use and current
How can task experts
know that their
suggestions are listened
to?
 (Leaders) What
improvement activities
are taking place in this
department?
 (Leaders) How do daily
task assignments work
here?

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
LEADER AVAILABILITY
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Team leaders on floor
in process area nearly
all the time and
available to task
experts
 Supervisors on floor in
process area
 Response system to
summon supervisor,
team leader when
needed

(Leaders) How many
hours/day do you spend
on the floor?
 How do you contact team
leader if you need them
immediately?
 How quickly is help
available when there is
an interruption team
leader cannot address?

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
LABOR PLANNING
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Starting assignments
and rotation displayed
 Expected attendance
chart up to date and
displayed
 Qualification matrix
up to date and
displayed

How can you tell who’s
supposed to be here on any
given day?
 (Leaders) What do you do
when there are call ins?
 How do you handle job
rotation here?
 How can you tell who’s
qualified to do which jobs in
the area?

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
STANDARD WORK
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Task experts have and
are following standard
work
 Standard work charts
are posted and clearly
visible at each station
 Leader standard work
is displayed day by
day for up to a week

Show me the standard work
for this operation. Does
anyone ever monitor it?
 (Leader) What’s your
process for monitoring
standard work, including
frequency?
 (Leaders) Do you use
standard work? Let’s look
at it for today.

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
COMMUNICATION
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Daily shift meeting
agenda is visible
 Where applicable,
information from
other shifts is
displayed
 Team leaders’,
supervisors’, value
stream meetings occur
daily

How often does your team
meet as a group?
 (Leaders) How do you
know what you’ll cover in
any given day’s start-up
meeting?
 (Leaders) What other daily
meetings do you regularly
attend?

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
WORKPLACE ORGANIZATION
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Weekly 5S audit and
actions current and
displayed
 Cleaning routines and
checklists visible and
current
 Clearly visible indicators
of location and quantity
for all objects in area

How do you keep track of
housekeeping in this area?
What standards are there
for housekeeping?
 (Of any object) What is
this? How can you tell
where it belongs?
 How much material are
you supposed to have?
How can you tell?

IN THE SHOES OF THE SENSEI:
WORKPLACE ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)
What People Should
Know
What You Should See
Signage or identified
location for equipment,
and materials
 No clutter, dirt, or debris
on floor, shelves, cabinet
tops, under racks, etc.
 All surfaces clean
 Cabinets, drawers
labeled and contents
match labels


What are reorder points
for any materials? What
is the process for
reordering?
DIMENSIONS OF
LEAN LEADERSHIP
Attribute
Example Behavior
Passion for
Lean
1. Passionate about potential for lean to make enterprise
more successful and work more fulfilling
2. Willing to make changes in one’s own work, including
using standard work
Disciplined
Adherence to
Process
1. Sets expectations, tracks actual and makes
assignments as needed
2. Exhibits intense commitment to process focus, defining
standard practices and adherence to them
Project
Management
Orientation
1. Able to identify needed changes based on daily process
data and assign daily tasks leading to successful
change implementation
2. Use explicitly defined visual processes to track and
follow up on assignments and take appropriate
corrective action
DIMENSIONS OF
LEAN LEADERSHIP (CONT.)
Attribute
Example Behavior
Lean Thinking
1. Serious about ongoing improvement based on goal of
perfection
2. Sees with “kaizen eyes”
3. Holds and coaches root cause orientation to corrective
action
4. Has mastered process improvement and problem
solving methods and can lead others in the effort
Ownership
1. Thinks and talks about their areas as theirs to lead,
set direction for, change, and improve
2. Eager to empower others to implement their ideas
3. Acknowledges and celebrates improvements made by
others
DIMENSIONS OF
LEAN LEADERSHIP (CONT.)
Attribute
Tension
Between
Applied and
Technical
Example Behavior
1. Understands and respects the details behind the
elements of lean, such as flow, pull, and standardized
work
2. Actively supports steps to upgrade performance and
expose hidden impediments
3. Takes a “what can we do today” orientation to making
change happen
Balanced
1. Personally treats process focus as crucial to areas
Commitment to
success; able to see waste and opportunity
Production and 2. Insists on compliance with requirements for visually
Management
tracking process performance and execution
Systems
3. Insists on analysis and appropriate, timely action on
impediments to normal operation of process
DIMENSIONS OF
LEAN LEADERSHIP (CONT.)
Attribute
Example Behavior
Effective
Relations with
Support
Groups
1. Understands roles, responsibilities, and expertise of
support groups
2. Incorporates support groups appropriately in plans for
improvement and response to problems
3. Makes expectations explicit for support group
performance
Measure
Process
Separate from
Results
1. Creates measures to frequently document process
performance and misses
2. Establishes regular, frequent review of process misses
and trends over time
3. Teaches and emphasizes cause analysis, root cause
solutions, and connections with improved performance
THINK ABOUT…..
Which of the nine leadership attributes
represent the greatest strength for your
organization?
Which of the nine leadership attributes
represent the greatest weakness for your
organization?
NOW THINK ABOUT…..
Which of the nine leadership attributes
represent the greatest strength for you
personally?
Which of the nine leadership attributes
represent the greatest weakness for you
personally?
CONSIDER…..
…..What happens when a leaders expects
perfection?
Consider the 75% rule of thumb and as
improvement occurs lower the water to
expose more rocks
HOT POTATO TIME
Share any insights, ideas, concerns,
confusion or questions that you may have
regarding implementing and sustaining a
Lean culture
LEAN CULTURE
Problem Solving
YOUR TIME TO RELAX
THINK ABOUT…..
…..how might an organization benefit from
adopting a standard approach to problem
solving
REMEMBER….
In a lean culture problems should be readily
visible and viewed as opportunities for
improvement
When sailing along too smoothly it may be
time to lower the water and find the rocks
IS IT …..
A Problem
or
A Solution?
SAVE THE MEMORIAL
5 Y AS AN APPROACH TO ROOT CAUSE
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
PDCA CYCLE
Act
Plan
Check
Do
PDCA CYCLE
Act
Plan
Check
Do
•Specifically state problem
•Describe current condition
•Establish improvement goals
•Determine root cause
•Brainstorm possible solutions
•Select best solution
•Determine success measures
PDCA CYCLE
Act
Plan
Check
Do
•Implement solution, preferably on
a small scale
•Be aware of unintended
consequences
PDCA CYCLE
Act
Check
Plan
•Measure results against goal
•Were results better? The same? Worse?
•Document any unintended consequences
Do
PDCA CYCLE
Act
Plan
•If better, standardize to hold the gains and plan
implementation on broader scale
•If worse, abandon
•If same, determine next solution to try
•Identify future improvement opportunities
Check
Do
A-3 AND PDCA
Report Theme:
Plan
Background
Do, Check, Act
Countermeasures
Current Condition
Effect Confirmation
Goal
Root-Cause Analysis
Follow-up Actions
THREE-TIER APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING
Duration
Typical Focus
1-5 Days
Fix an immediate
problem, implement a
simple improvement,
simple cause analysis
Daily task assignment
board; follow up at tier
three meetings
6-30 Days
Problem solving
process for more
complex analysis,
solution, and
recommendation
Via one-page (A-3) visual
project plan reviewed at
weekly project review
session
30-90 Days Longer –term or more
complex problems or
opportunities
How Managed
Via one-page (A-3) visual
project plan reviewed at
weekly project review
session
QUESTIONS TO PONDER….
How is the three-tier approach to problem
solving the same as or different from the way
problems are currently solved in the
organization?
What would be the greatest challenge to
implementing the three-tier approach to
problem solving in the organization?
What benefits might the organization realize
from the three-tier approach to problem solving?
LEAN CULTURE
The Toyota Lean Culture Triangle
Note: Slides in this section adapted from “Lean
Hospitals” by Mark Graban
LEAN CULTURE TRIANGLE
Human
Development
Philosophical
LEAN CULTURE TRIANGLE
Human
Development
What are the implications of placing Human
Development in the center of the lean
culture?
LEAN CULTURE TRIANGLE
The True North
Mission
Vision
Values
Lean “Fit”
Human
Development
Philosophical
“Base management decisions on long-term
philosophy, even at the expense of short-term
financial goals” Principle 1-The Toyota Way
LEAN CULTURE TRIANGLE
Human
Development
The Tools
5S
Value Stream Mapping
Process Mapping
Poka Yoke
POUS
Kaizen
LEAN CULTURE TRIANGLE
The Management Mindset
Leadership over management
Developing and sustaining trust
Encouraging involvement
Empowering
Data-based decision making
Long-term thinking
Fair treatment
Lean Sensei
Human
Development
CONSIDER…..
…..which side of the Toyota Lean Culture
Triangle represents the greatest strength for
your organization?
…..which side of the Toyota Lean Culture
Triangle represents the greatest weakness
for your organization?
…..what specific strategies could strengthen
current organizational weakness?
LEAN CULTURE TRIANGLE
Human
Development
Philosophical
Eliminate
Waste
Respect
People
A REVIEW
PRACTICE




Reflect on your organization’s culture as it
exists today compared to where it needs to
transition to in order to sustain a lean
enterprise.
Consider the single greatest issue in
undertaking this transition.
Complete the left hand side (Plan) of A3
report.
Share through slice and dice.