Driving Lean Through Change Management

We are all aware that lean is a culture, a mindset towards continuous improvement where the people drive initiatives and continuously strive to improve their processes. But what if people are left out of the project, what if people are confused by the concept or weary of the change or simply don’t understand the goal. Change management is one of the most critical success factors to a lean project and yet one that is often overlooked. As lean practitioners, focus cannot be solely on the technical aspect of improving the processes, it is a journey, and one that if not supported, will not be sustained.

Resistance is a natural and common reaction to change. Some of the most frequent terms labs use at the start of a project are “we are different” or “we have always done it this way”. Generally, this is caused by confusion as to what the outcome looks like, a lack of understanding of the goal or a fear towards a new way of working. It is fundamental that from the outset and throughout the project there is good communication to turn concern into commitment. This allows teams to create ownership and grows enthusiasm with an understanding of the benefits that the outcome will deliver.

The Change Curve - Understanding Readiness

At the start of a lean implementation, understanding the mindset and readiness of the team will give a good indication of their understanding of the project and their willingness to drive the initiative. The project lead should understand the change curve and through discussions of goals and outcomes, gauge the mindset of the project team.  

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It is normal to be positioned on the left side of the curve at the beginning of a change. Over time with communication and a common understanding of the goals, the project team will move along the curve taking part in the change, becoming owners, understanding the goal and finally integrating through leading and sustaining the change.

There are a number of enablers that can expedite the move in mindset of a team towards the desire of a lean project driving momentum.  

Enablers of Lean Change

 Creating the right team

• • Include influential leaders as part of the project team. People who have experience or the ability to inspire others in their team.

 Define a clear goal

• • Ensure that the team understand the goal of the project, the benefits, potential and means to sustain it. Clarity at the start prevents confusion along the way.  

Give Ownership

• • Embed an understanding that a lean project is theirs to own, tweak and suit the needs of the team. The team have the ability to help design, tweak, trial and implement with future prospects to continuously improve.

Gain Feedback

• • Throughout the process of a lean project, feedback loops are critical. Checking the pulse of the team, listening to concerns, and incorporating new ideas ensuring engagement is maintained.

 Quick Wins

• • If the lean project provides some quick improvements, explore and implement these first before the lengthier concepts. This will encourage the team towards results and can be a catalyst for momentum and motivation.

 Use Data to Tell the Success Story

• • Data is the story of change, turning the improvement into something real that people can visibly see, understand and believe.

Making Time for Change

A fundamental aspect of any lean project is to ensure that the team are set up for success. It should be clear at the start of the project (to the project team and lab managers) the requirements of time required on a weekly basis and ensure that time is set aside. Updates on progress and support required can be provided through steering update meetings with the lab management and senior site stakeholders.

The importance of Face-to-Face Interaction

In a digital world with ever advancing technology and the shift towards to the use of AI to help with the generation of ideas and data analysis to support lean projects, successful projects and implementations are often built on engagement, understanding and a level of trust. Change may cause uncertainty or concerns that no dashboard, or digital tool can directly address therefore these key areas are developed and strengthened through face-to-face interactions throughout the journey of the lean project by taking the time to speak with teams, understand their concerns, creating better ownership and involvement. Sustainable change cannot be maintained through technology alone, but in combination with meaningful interaction and conversations as a shared goal building belief and confidence in the process.

As lean consultants our responsibility goes beyond technical improvements. We guide people through projects helping them to adopt new ways of working with confidence. After all, Lean will improve the processes, but people sustain the improvement.