What is a Culture?
A set of principles and behaviors expected, supported and reinforced at all levels of the organization by the largest number of people.
Lean is about building a company culture of continuous improvement focused on:
- Thinking in terms of your customers
- Creating value along the whole value chain
- Making everything visible
- Working together
- Creating and improving standards
Develop leaders at every level of the organization.
In a Lean Enterprise in Motion™, it is imperative to develop leaders at every level of the organization whose collective responsibility is to develop this culture by managing change…and managing the organization as a system.
Think of it as a “super-enterprise” in which people, processes, and physical and financial resources work in harmony to ensure operational excellence and long-term growth. New behaviors must go hand-in-hand with improvements in the flow of materials and information. Change begins when leaders start acting differently.
“Leaders articulate and define what has previously remained implicit or unsaid; they then invent images, metaphors, and models that provide a focus for new attention.” Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, authors of Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge.
A lean enterprise requires a shift in thinking, from management of activities to leading, coaching and guiding teams and individuals.
The Role of Lean Leadership
- Do what’s right for the organization
- Manage the dream
- Architect of the change process
- Model the change daily and insist that others do too
- Coach, teach and learn
- Encourage reflective backtalk and dissent
- Make everyone feel like a winner
- Get all stakeholders involved and create partnerships
A lean culture will ensure operational excellence and long-term growth.
Productivity knows what it takes to lead a Lean enterprise. We can help your organization overcome natural resistance by creating a shared understanding of the “new way,” defining a roadmap for change, and setting the stage properly.
For more information on Developing Leaders – visit the Leadership Development section of this website.
