People Centric Leadership

Although each improvement journey is unique, a number of common themes emerge from research into successful improvement journeys. Those that made the fastest progress did so by creating the opportunity for local leaders to adopt a People Centric Leadership approach using workplace projects. That provided a real world opportunity to change mindsets and build new workplace relationships whilst systematically resolving the causes of recurring problems.

The outcomes included more stable and resilient performance allowing the delegation of routine tasks to front line teams. That in turn released more time for higher added value activities. Below is an overview of the common transitions on that journey. Each one building on the previous one.

Workplace projects also provide evidence of engagement and changes in outlook that signpost progress towards the next stage of the journey.

From Problem Solving to Focussed Improvement

This is a stage characterised by a shift from fixing problems as they occur to systematically delivering a specific improvement result. The most successful organisations are those who strive to achieve a specific operational future state vision. Those that approach each problem as a series of unconnected issues do less well.

From Supervisor to First Line Manager

As organisations progress out of reactive management, First line manager accountabilities transition from keeping watch over direct reports to one of management of processes to:

• Set standards and assure adherence
• Simplify procedures using visual management
• Formalise best practice through training and on the job coaching
• Identify and address gaps in front line management processes.

The fastest progress through this transition is achieved by those using cross functional team based wokrplace learning projects that include the development of First Line Management competence to:

• Coach direct reports
• Develop self managed team capabilities
• Improve customer and product profitability by targeting technical/process improvement priorities as part of a cross functional improvement team.

From Problem Solving to Minor Defect Prevention

As unplanned downtime is reduced, to maintain a creative pressure for improvement, exemplar organisations develop front line skills to reduce the causes of minor quality defects. The outcomes are

• Changes in performance management mindset from managing past failures to targeting future opportunities
• Engagement of front line personnel in routine area management tasks to release engineering, management and specialist time
• Changes in the accountabilities of engineering and specialist personnel to carry out higher added value tasks.

Few of the problems which impact on operational performance can be resolved by purely technical improvements. The challenging but achievable goal of year on year improvement requires as much attention to raising standards and outlook (i.e. behaviours) as it does to addressing technical weaknesses and workflow mapping.

Furthermore 90% of improvements that deliver stable operation typically involve low cost or even no cost improvements by engagement of all those who impact on effectiveness in improvement team activities. Build on this to improve the flow of added value and simplification of work planning and the gains can be extended into all elements of the supply chain (plan, source, make and deliver). The gains are clear enough but where to start? Click here to find out more

Those that do this well approach the challenge of improving performance using improvement teams. Team members carried out their improvement activities alongside normal duties and their activities are integrated into the day to day fabric of management. That is then used to simultaneously support two capability development streams:

1. Leadership development to encourage new thinking and a proactive culture
   
   
2. Front line development to improve work routines and raises tandards.

The focus on common improvement goals supports the development of proactive working relationships which impact on the day to day activities. This also helps local leaders to gain an insight into the causes of poor performance and how to release the full potential of the operation.

Common performance inhibitors include weaknesses in the following processes.

• A Plan for Every Asset (PFEA) setting out routine practices for correct operation and asset care
• Standardisation of working methods including setting standards, simplification, training, competency assessment and compliance management
• Daily management of operational routines, improvement huddles and coaching activities
• Focused improvement activities to deliver current year and progress towards 3-5 year vision

The lessons learned from the initial projects include actions to:

• Reduce breakdowns, management firefighting, operating costs and quality defects
• Increase capacity and customer service flexibility
• Match and exceed future customer expectations
• Reduce inventory and improve door to door operations flow
• Achieve a cleaner, safer workplace with less effort
• Sustain improvemed performance.

It is not uncommon to find organisations where senior managers support the need for change and improvement but where first line managers struggle to make it happen.

Thomas Edison is credited with the adage that “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”. We may change the percentages but anyone who has tried to apply a new idea to their workplace will agree that getting new ideas adopted is more difficult than generating them in the first place. In organisations that do this well, Managers, Team Leaders and Key Personnel work together as improvement leaders to ..(click to read more)

....engage the workforce with the new thinking and then refine ideas through practical team based improvement projects.

This approach succeeds because those that are impacted by any changes are coached by team leaders as a team to;

• understand the end to end process and what contributes to the problem first hand,
• reflect on the changes needed
• learn how to adopt the new approach into their work routines using a hands on iterative approach.

A typical workplace learning project passes through 3 measurable quality milestones:

1. The first milestone is achieved when the potential improvement areas are identified, prioritised and improvement tactics are defined;
2. The second milestone is passed after the improvement team has been mobilised and they are tracking the impact of their programme;
3. The final milestone is achieved when sustained improvement has been delivered and formal recognition can be made of their success.

Developing First Line Managers to Coach Improvement Teams

Workplace projects provide immediate feedback on barriers to progress (real and imagined). First Line Managers need to learn how to help teams overcome problems, refine ideas and progress them further. This makes the workplace project a learning and develpment vehicle for first line managers to develp their ability to:

1. Set improvement priorities based on an equal understanding of shop floor issues and key business performance drivers;
2. Define improvement tactics and mobilise resources against a realistic and achievable timetable;
3. Train and coach improvement teams to progress along that improvement path with confidence
4. Enrol and engage those impacted with the change with the compelling need to adopt and refine the improved approach.

The learning plans below provide examples of how this development can be supported using DAK Academy short courses combined with practical workplace learning projects to deliver business gains.

For Production Team Leaders and Managers

3 day Implement Best Practice TPM Workshop plus workplace learning projects covering:

1. Improving Asset reliability and OEE
2. Standardising work routines and problem prevention
3. Local Area Management and Focussed Improvement

3 day Practical Lean Leadership for Team Leaders and Managers plus workplace learning projects covering:

1. Mapping waste and developing programmes that engage
2. Visualisation to communicate with meaning
3. Practical Problem Solving Leadership

For Maintenance Team Leaders and Planners

3 day Maintenance Planning and Scheduling work control workshop Plus workplace learning projects covering:

1. Work routine definition and frequency
2. Maintenance systems and processes
3. Maintenance task management

As the causes of failures are dealt with, a different action trigger is needed to maintain engagement with the year on year performance improvement goal. This involves a shift in mindset from solving problems that prevent downtime to learning how to optimise operations. This transition has significant impact on the roles of managers, engineers and specialists. Instead of reacting to problems as they occur, these key improvement leaders need to learn how to release latent process capabilities. This change in focus releases the full value adding potential of those roles, drives up the self management capabilities of front line teams and delivers higher added value to customers at lower cost. Read more

The technical outcomes are:

• Reduced contamination and extended component life
• Improved material yield
• Improved process precision and quality assurance
• Improved equipment condition and simplified operating and asset care practices to first stabilise and then optimise technology performance;

The impact on the work routines includes

• Increased time between interventions for production, hygiene, engineering and quality. This makes it possible to delegate more of the routine to front line teams;
• The option of running additional shifts with minimal labour cover;
• Shorter order lead times and reduced inventories. Naturally to take advantage of that involves changes to order processing cycles and Quality Assurance protocols.
• The release of maintenance engineering time from routine activities to focus on long term solutions to technology problems;
• This doubles the value to the organisation of traditional maintenance engineering role and puts the maintenance function at the heart of Lean improvement process;
• The systematic development of front line team self management capability including routine work planning and coordination.

As well as lower costs and improved flexibility, the gains from this transition include gains in the speed with which new products and services can be brought to market.