Staff support will make or break lean initiatives, experts warn
1 min read
Lean programmes only work when senior managers adopt an open and inclusive approach with factory floor staff, industry experts told WM's Learning Lean 2010 event.
David Fox chief executive of Power Panels and a multiple Best Factory Award (BFA) winner, said:
"70% of change initiatives fail because staff don't buy in. Don't stand on high and tell them what to do because it isn't going to work. Pull them in with you and it might work."
Fox's comments came as industry experts gave their guide to getting the most out of lean at the WM event at Woodland Grange, Warwickshire.
Firms have to recognise the "human side of change", Fox told an audience of manufacturing managers.
Directors should engage in an active dialogue with frontline workers and use team leaders to deliver their message, he added.
Staff feedback schemes can be hugely influential in achieving leaner operations, Nick Reynolds, business excellence specialist of Siemens Traffic Solutions, said.
Siemens- this year's BFA Factory of the Year- introduced a staff suggestion scheme that paid £1 for every idea.
Successful suggestions get rewarded at £5 with cash put towards team social events.
The scheme has helped Siemens' save £1 million over four years, Reynolds told delegates.
He said: "When we launched it people were cynical and thought it's been done before and won't last. Four and a half years later it's still going strong."
Other speakers included Dennis McCarthy of DAK Consulting, Steve Severs of Saint-Gobain Glass, Malcolm Jones of Productivity Europe and Colin Larkin of Case New Holland.
Don't miss WM's November issue for more expert lean tips from Learning Lean 2010
