Lean: the shopfloor rules

There are lots of lean books around but Lean Thinking (ISBN 0684819767) by Womack and Jones is worth the read. It sets out the results of four years' study into organisations that successfully took the plunge into lean and how they did it. Chapter 6 sets out a great example of how Lantech experienced the reality of adopting lean practices. That included creating cells which meant that many jobs had to be reassigned – a programme which at the start left many of the production workers baffled or dismayed. Fast forward a couple of years and the headcount was unchanged but the turnover had doubled. The gains were not all due to lean, but without it the company would not have been as successful in responding to changes in the marketplace. It is easy to imagine at the start of the Lantech lean journey how some managers would hear the word 'lean' and believe that it is a way of reducing headcount. The managers with that outlook would fail to deliver the potential of lean thinking because they would struggle to win the hearts and minds of the shopfloor. Although on occasion it does happen, there is no inevitable link between the introduction of lean and job losses. The essential engagement of shopfloor employees at Lantech happened because company leaders were able to convince the employees of the potential of their plans and their benevolent intent. So, what can management do to engage the shopfloor with lean thinking? First, educate to create a critical mass of key managers who understand the reality of lean thinking. Next, work with those managers to mobilise an agreed action plan to stabilise performance in a model area/value stream. In addition to performance gains, this will release management time from firefighting. And next, set management and team leader accountabilities to use this time to coach frontline teams to optimise flow. Start slowly to get people on board but accelerate the pace of change as soon as you are able. And be impatient for results.