Comments on: Continuous Erosion http://theleanthinker.com/2009/10/24/continuous-erosion/ Thoughts and insights from the shop floor. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:11:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Il meglio della blogosfera lean #10 — Encob Blog http://theleanthinker.com/2009/10/24/continuous-erosion/comment-page-1/#comment-33392 Il meglio della blogosfera lean #10 — Encob Blog Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:34:17 +0000 http://theleanthinker.com/?p=1000#comment-33392 [...] Continuous Erosion dal blog The Lean Thinker di Mark Rosenthal che chiede: Miglioramento o erosione continua? (traduzione automatica) [...] [...] Continuous Erosion dal blog The Lean Thinker di Mark Rosenthal che chiede: Miglioramento o erosione continua? (traduzione automatica) [...]

]]> By: Jim Fernandez http://theleanthinker.com/2009/10/24/continuous-erosion/comment-page-1/#comment-33214 Jim Fernandez Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:35:45 +0000 http://theleanthinker.com/?p=1000#comment-33214 Mark: You are so correct. I am constantly trying to figure out what things I need to remove or put in place to prevent people from going back to the old way. It’s a constant struggle. Your so difficult to deal with Mark. :) You tell me the problem and analyze it perfectly, but you do not give me any answers to the problem. “What was the intent of the kaizen event?” During the kaizen process I always reach a point where I say something like; OK, does everyone understand who is going to do what, when and how? Is it clear? Do you agree with what we are trying to do? At this point I get some head nodding and some blank stares. I’ll go around the room and try and get alignment from everyone. Management wants to go with the change and so they push the change as though the change is a new set of rules to work by. If I don’t get the enthusiasm I want, I present the change as an experiment. At this point in the process I always wonder if the change will work and if it works will it be maintained. Often times I feel that everyone in the room is thinking; “This won’t work because XYZ will happen and we will have to go back to the old way” Or, “This won’t work because so and so will not change the way they do their job.” I keep thinking that the intent of the kaizen is to open up people’s thinking and get them to try a different way. The intent is usually to reduce waste. However, like you said something will come up that will try and push the system back to the old way. The company culture and all of the workers influence every other worker in the plant. When we make a change we find out how interconnected the whole company is. These are very powerful forces. These influences can be changed, but it’s hard during a kaizen event to make sure all of the possible influences that affect the “new way” get changed. And when upper management and the owners don’t change it makes it much more difficult. Here are a couple of questions for you Mark. When we make a change, when do we stop checking to see if the change is being maintained? Should we design changes so that they are self sustaining? Mark:

You are so correct. I am constantly trying to figure out what things I need to remove or put in place to prevent people from going back to the old way. It’s a constant struggle.

Your so difficult to deal with Mark. :) You tell me the problem and analyze it perfectly, but you do not give me any answers to the problem.

“What was the intent of the kaizen event?”

During the kaizen process I always reach a point where I say something like; OK, does everyone understand who is going to do what, when and how? Is it clear? Do you agree with what we are trying to do? At this point I get some head nodding and some blank stares. I’ll go around the room and try and get alignment from everyone. Management wants to go with the change and so they push the change as though the change is a new set of rules to work by. If I don’t get the enthusiasm I want, I present the change as an experiment. At this point in the process I always wonder if the change will work and if it works will it be maintained. Often times I feel that everyone in the room is thinking; “This won’t work because XYZ will happen and we will have to go back to the old way” Or, “This won’t work because so and so will not change the way they do their job.”

I keep thinking that the intent of the kaizen is to open up people’s thinking and get them to try a different way. The intent is usually to reduce waste. However, like you said something will come up that will try and push the system back to the old way. The company culture and all of the workers influence every other worker in the plant. When we make a change we find out how interconnected the whole company is. These are very powerful forces. These influences can be changed, but it’s hard during a kaizen event to make sure all of the possible influences that affect the “new way” get changed. And when upper management and the owners don’t change it makes it much more difficult.

Here are a couple of questions for you Mark. When we make a change, when do we stop checking to see if the change is being maintained? Should we design changes so that they are self sustaining?

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