Developing a Lean Culture in your organization
Lean organizations are those that use continuous improvement principles to improve their day-to-day operations. They are committed to Continuous Improvement, which promotes efficiency and minimizes waste.
Lean organizations recognize the importance of customer value and focus their efforts towards enhancing customer satisfaction. Lean cultures help companies to guide their employees in the direction of achieving corporate goals and visions by being efficient and well-organized.
These are the steps you can take to create a Lean organization culture.
1. Create a culture of continuous learning- Train your employees to be the best at what they do. Inculcate the spirit of continuous learning in your employees so they are constantly learning new skills and returning that value to your company.
2. Keep communication channels open and clear- Your employees need to feel heard, without fear or bias. Give your employees clear channels for feedback. Communicate any actions taken in the aftermath to implement suggestions or resolve problems.
3. Encourage a productive and engaged way of working- Recognize employees who are active in supporting the company's vision and growth and reward them accordingly. Encourage feedback and suggestions from the workforce. Recognize and reward efficient working methods.
The implementation of Lean principles is just the beginning of an organization's journey to continuous improvement. It is crucial to develop and maintain a Lean culture in order to sustain the efficient processes. Lean workplace cultures will inspire employees to continually increase customer value and reduce waste/cost. This will in turn lead to increased profits and a better bottom line.
About the author: Sandhya Bhat MSc, CSSMBB, CSSE has developed several new and enhanced existing strategic methodologies to improve technology and human capital utilization, produce greater ROI on investments and streamline service delivery. She is an acclaimed author, speaker, a sought after thought leader and an avid world traveler.