The first requirement in making a successful transformation to lean is to have a clear vision of what the organization will become. The vision is no doubt achievable, but the journey will take time, discipline, and execution to get there. Throughout the journey, you must hold tight to the vision and take consistent actions.
Compare your vision to a work of art. Whether it is a painting, a sculpture, a novel, or a Broadway musical, true masterpieces are comprised of a host of small details. The little things combine to create a work that is greater than the sum of the individual parts. So, too, is the lean organization. A lean organization is made up of many details in the form of procedures, techniques, and processes that come together to create harmony. The most important single element is the attitude, or the culture, of the people in the lean organization.
Teamwork is essential in any lean transformation. Just as a championship sports team, a lean organization must function as a single living organization, rather than as a group of separate personalities who have been thrown together. Championship players can recite the playbook in their sleep. Each player proudly pulls their weight.
Just as a championship sports team, individuals who comprise a lean organization don’t define themselves in terms of the role they play on any given day. Just as a particular position played doesn’t adequately describe a member of a sports team, titles do not define the members of a lean organization. Moreover, the boundaries between departments and functions in the lean organization are blurred to the point that for all practical purposes they do not exist. Nor does any tolerance for a “not my job” attitude.
Lean leaders recognize that simple, mundane tasks are necessary and must be executed with care and efficiency. If a task does not add value to what the company is creating, it must be eliminated.
Employees in a lean organization know what they stand for because they know what the group they belong to stands for. No matter what industry they belong to, market leaders recognize that the right culture may be more important than superb products, good ideas, or technological innovation. Great products and services are not what make organizations outstanding, it is the organization that creates great products and services.