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For the past seventeen years I have been enjoying the ability to go and see many different organizations in a variety of industries. In all, I have noticed a trend that is rather troubling. I see pockets of tools and processes trying to simulate a system of lean manufacturing through sporadic application with a little bit of a pull system here and some 5S over there, with shadows of tape on the floor where "we used to do that." Some companies I see have successful outcomes. Sadly, others have failed to a point where I hear the people in the plant say, "That stuff just doesn't work here."

What many of these organizations fail to recognize or understand is that the application of the tool or learning the process is not the goal. The goal is to train people to understand the WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW and WHY the tool is used, to promote a culture of continuous improvement, and to help them understand that change is good. The tools are just one way to the result. The continuous improvement culture thrives by creating an overall system of stability, sustainability and adaptability—one that can be improved.

LEAN Manufacturing has been around for decades. The concepts are not all that complicated; however, they are extremely difficult to apply. One reason for this is what I call "cherry picking"—many organizations tend to think that they can pick this tool and that tool and not worry about others to accomplish the desired outcome. They might experience some level of success, which can lead them to believe they have implemented a lean system when they really have not.

Another problem I have seen is when management teams lead the organization into different directions based on what they as individuals believe a LEAN system looks like, or how it should work. They don't have a shared vision, but rather they are determined as a management team to just "get it done." It is very difficult to change a culture when the organization jumps from one program to another. Changing the "flavor of the month" culture to a lean culture must begin with the fundamental philosophy of continuous improvement. It starts at the very highest level of management and works through to the value added operators.

I once worked with an organization where the Vice President asked me when they were going to "be lean." After a little thought, my answer in short was, NEVER. LEAN is a constant process of change. With that answer he laughed and continued to tell me that they were going to be lean in four to six months. Six months later the management had been reduced significantly and those remaining worked 16 hour days to be "lean."

The most successful organizations I have observed have one thing in common—that is... from the executive levels up to the true value-added employees closest to the product and customer, they all share a vision and all have a sense of learning together. These successful organizations are able to challenge each other, and in their natural work-groups they grow by constantly identifying problems and solving them.

LEAN Culture is about the constant identification and elimination of waste through the active and adaptable participation of all team members—sales, purchasing, human resources, service departments, accounting, engineering, quality, maintenance, etc. NO ONE is exempt from stabilizing, improving and sustaining their processes to improve the satisfaction of the customer. The most important thing for organizations to learn is that they must develop their people, not just the tools and processes, in order to establish a culture of continuous improvement.

I have coached many managers to believe that if they can implement and manage a 5S system they can implement anything—meaning that "sustaining" any gain you make is the biggest challenge. It's actually easy to implement 5S, however, you must pay close attention to it several times during the day or it will quickly go back to where you started... Back to "we used to do it that way." The culture will not happen because you want it too. It will happen because you work extremely hard to make it happen.

No matter where you are as an organization, whether you are just getting started or have been on the journey for many years, you have to know that changing the culture to focus on developing people first is extremely difficult. However, it doesn't need to be complicated. The LEAN LEADER GROUP is here and we are dedicated to developing people one person at a time if need be to help you transform to a sustainable LEAN culture.

The LEAN LEADER GROUP is excited to be the training partner for a new non-profit organization, RETURN READY!, which is providing help for displaced workers during this difficult economic time of increasing unemployment. Their goal is to help prepare displaced workers for the future by providing high-level professional training and education in the LEAN principles and concepts of continuous improvement, which have been adopted by numerous industries throughout Northern America. In addition to training individuals seeking employment, they are working to facilitate connections with organizations committed to the implementation of Lean principles and interested in hiring qualified individuals who have received the RETURN READY! LEAN Certification.

The week-long course offered by RETURN READY! is taught by our professional team from the LEAN LEADER GROUP. The intensive training program is adapted from our corporate training program and incorporates our unique hands-on simulation process designed to teach the fundamentals of the Toyota Way of LEAN manufacturing. Participants complete the week with enhanced leadership skills that will add immediate value to their resume and improve their chances of getting hired into better positions more quickly. The special interview simulation module is designed to prepare them for the journey ahead and helps reduce some of the anxiety of interviewing for their new job.

Be sure to check out their website at www.ReturnReady.org, where you can also learn more about the organization and program.