The Progress Paradox: What Does 'Good' Look Like After Years of Lean? (Lean Series, Part 3)

You are doomed to disappointment if you expect perfection in a mature lean organization—even one that’s been at it for 10 or 20 years. Problems still exist in well-run lean manufacturing plants or healthcare or other types of organizations, and that’s a good thing.

“People that have been doing this for a very long time know that on your lean journey … actually not having problems is a problem,” says Dr. Mohamed Saleh.

In this edition of Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement, podcast hosts Saleh and John Dyer dive deeply into what “good” looks like in a mature lean organization, with a particular focus on problem-solving and leadership roles. This episode is Part 3 of their lean series.

On the topic of problems, Saleh says a misconception exists that mature lean organizations face fewer problems. That’s not true, he says. Instead, it’s their reaction to those problems that changes.

“[Mature lean] does yield to better visibility to problems. It does yield to faster responses to problems. It does yield to maybe a deeper understanding of the problems,” Saleh says. “Beginners celebrate having no problems, from my perspective … Experts who really do this actually worry when they can't find problems.”

Dyer expands on the notion of quicker fixes in mature lean operations and provides an example. He outlines a scenario in which a machine breaks down. Prior to lean, that machine operator may have gone to his boss, who goes to maintenance, which puts in a work order and ultimately may or may not be able to fix the problem. If not, the problem could escalate to the plant manager and higher before being resolved.

“And it takes hours, if not days to solve that problem,” Dyer says.

A mature lean environment supports addressing problems closest to where the problem exists. In this example, a well-trained machine operator (who already was doing his own preventive maintenance) may be able to solve the issue on the spot. Or if not, that operator huddles with maintenance, perhaps a tool maker and others closest to the process, and they solve the problem together.

“It’s almost like that ownership is so high, they feel as a team that this is their business. This part of the operation is their baby, their business, and they take a lot of pride in making sure that it's done in a safe way, good quality, good output, good throughput and good uptime of that equipment,” Dyer says. “So, problem solving changes dramatically. … As that's being done closer and closer to the process, that actually frees up all of the other people in that chain … that no longer have to put out fires.”

What goes away in a mature lean organization, Saleh adds, is the panic. Problems still exist, but:

• Everyone is trained on problem-solving skills.
• Performance gaps are discussed openly, and the workforce aims at getting to the root cause.
• Blame is not part of the conversation, so defensiveness doesn’t exist.

Additionally, the duo adds, leaders are less heroic in a mature lean organization because they no longer must solve all the problems. In the early stages of lean, leaders likely are solving the problems, escalating the issues and driving the action.

In a mature lean organization, leaders act more as coaches and mentors, Saleh notes. Freed from a focus on day-to-day problems, their activity becomes more forward-thinking versus reactive, Dyer adds, citing leadership activities such as customer and supplier outreach, and developing responses to changes in the larger economy.

Saleh and Dyer wrap up the episode with a discussion about continuous improvement, with the former describing an air of “productive discomfort” to the status quote in mature lean organizations. It’s not fear, Saleh explains, but a tension to keep pushing forward.

Dyer adds that “this may sound really counterintuitive, but when you do reach that kind of maturity level as a leader, you may now need to occasionally introduce problems.”

“Run them through scenarios; do some case studies in order to keep those problem-solving skills well honed,” Dyer notes. “It's hard to imagine when you're having problems every minute, [but] you may actually reach a time where you don't have problems for weeks, and you've got to keep the team's focus, energy level high and their skill level well- toned.”