There is certainly no shortage of content on operational excellence (OpEx) and continuous improvement (CI). Unfortunately, many companies that seek improvement never get far enough in their efforts to experience sustainable change.
Is your company's OpEx efforts stuck in neutral? Are you tired of trying to implement meaningful improvements and failing to make them stick?
If so, it's time to assess the health of your company's lean management system (LMS).
SEE ALSO: What is Continuous Improvement and Why is it Important?
What is an LMS?
A company’s lean management system (LMS) is its approach to running an organization using continuous improvement principles, methods, and tools.
A well-designed LMS is an ecosystem that thrives when it has the right inputs and dies when it doesn’t. This is why sustained improvement is so important. Like a growing plant, the LMS can’t be watered for a few days and forgotten for a few months. It must be regularly "watered" through a regular cycle of evaluation, adjustment, and monitoring.
A Healthy Ecosystem
When your LMS is healthy, sustained improvement is not only possible, it’s inevitable. Each person in your organization works productively. Your processes are transparent and consistent. Everyone is aligned to the company's mission and vision.
When your LMS is unhealthy, you may see "red flags" like:
- Evidence of waste (e.g., waiting, motion, rework, etc.)
- Lack of standard business processes
- Lots of "workarounds" of existing processes
- Lack of transparency
- Poor employee capability
- Little true problem solving
- Sabotage, buck-passing, and finger-pointing
The Importance of Buy-In
Getting, and keeping, your employees fully engaged is critical. If they’re apathetic about the process, or actively working against it, their behavior will impede your company’s success.
Employees must provide the nutrients your LMS ecosystem needs to thrive. So how can you inspire them to be good stewards of your system?
We have worked with OpEx Leaders and Teams at dozens of organization through our unique combination of software, services, and playbooks to help them accelerate and sustain their OpEx efforts, including designing and deploying a fit-for-purpose Lean Management System throughout their organization.
With the assistance of EON, your company can nurture a vibrant LMS and make real progress toward the differentiated productivity and performance you envision.
SEE ALSO: 3 Benefits of an Operational Excellence Platform
Measuring Health and Making a Change
A key step in developing a sustainable LMS is the development of a lean maturity assessment. Contact us today to learn more about this topic and move your company toward meaningful improvement.
