A Lean Culture is a company culture that emphasizes and encourages continuous improvement. This is done through the implementation of rigorous process and system design that promote efficiencies in the workplace. To be successful, a Lean Culture must be founded on the following principles:
1. Respect for People: Leaders must show respect for their employees by promoting a culture of cooperation and communication. Employees must be empowered to make decisions and be held accountable for their actions.
2. Continuous Improvement: Leaders must continuously challenge themselves and their employees to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This requires a willingness to experiment, learn from mistakes, and take risks.
3. Standardised Work: The design of all processes and systems should be standardised and ensure specific goals and metrics are met.
Steps to Build a Lean Organisation
There are a few steps that need to be taken in order to build a lean culture.
1. The first step is to create a sense of urgency. Leaders need to be constantly driving the team to improve and be more efficient.
2. The second step is to establish clear and concise goals. Teams need to know what they need to achieve in order to be successful.
3. The third step is to ensure the team have the right tools, support and knowledge to be able to solve business problems. Train the team in the tools of continuous improvement so there is a systematic way to talk about and work on problems.
3. Finally, leaders need to create an environment where employees feel comfortable challenging each other and taking risks.
How to Sustain Lean within your Organisation
Building a sustainable culture is a continuous process. It starts with establishing the right values and principles and then creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to act in line with those values. This can be difficult to do, but it is essential for sustainability.
One way to ensure that Lean values are upheld is to have regular performance reviews. This helps to identify and reward employees for behaviours that support the Lean Culture. Additionally, leaders should make sure that everyone has access to training and resources that help them implement Lean principles in their work. Finally, it is important to create a supportive network of colleagues who can help keep the culture healthy.
