Perception is a Funny Thing

“To be an innovative company, you have to ask for innovation. You assemble a group of talented people who are eager to do new things and put them in an environment where innovation is expected. It’s that simple and that hard”

                                                     -  Paul M. Cook, Founder and former CEO of Raychem Corporation

Guest article by Karin Lindner, to learn more about Karin visit  http://www.wspsolutions.ca/

   

Just recently I spoke with a young VP (son of the owner) of a manufacturing facility in Mississauga. At one point during our conversation he said, "Karin, I honestly think that most of my workers are stupid. Some people have "it" and some people don't. Most of the ideas we get from the workers (which are not many), I find to be stupid ideas."

Then, he said to me "Seriously how creative can a guy on the assembly line really be? They want to spend the minimum time in the plant and they want to get the most possible pay. That's it."

I then asked him, "How many managers and supervisors do you know who make a sincere effort to bring out the best in their people? I don't think people are stupid. They need guidance, leadership and support on how to become better at what they do and how to become better individuals. I have met more open-minded people on the production floor who willingly adapt to change, than I have met in managerial positions. What actions do you take to address this issue?"

He couldn't really answer my questions but if he thinks that his workers are stupid, I wonder what his workers think of him.

There is a difference between dumb and stupid. Dumb is ignorance - which can be corrected through education and training. Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, or wit.

I don't even want to imagine how motivated his workforce is. What is the quality rating in this company? What's their health and safety record? How competitive can this company be in this fast paced and global market? Can it really be that people like this lead organizations? Does he really think his company will continue to grow if he does not have his people on board? Bosses who think that they're superior and treat their employees as second class citizens have a lot to learn about leadership.

I certainly don't think that this VP is a bad person. He is a nice guy, he just doesn't know any better, and sadly, he is one of many. I actually think that unconsciously he may be looking for assistance but you can only help someone who has an open mind and is ready and willing to accept some advice.

I have a simple philosophy. If you have a problem in your business, you have to first acknowledge that you have a problem. If you don't acknowledge that you have a problem, this is a real problem. Most of the time we are not aware of our (re)actions and the way we think and speak. How can we change something that we are not aware of?   

Unfortunately, in many cases there is a huge disconnect between the management team and the workforce. Both have challenges to deal with but there is no shared reality. Ignorance is bliss when you don't understand each other's worlds but this is the biggest obstacle in getting to the next level. Lack of communication, lack of information and lack of dignity and respect make the worker appear stupid but in reality it may simply be his or her unwillingness to help the company succeed because he or she is not emotionally connected to the business. Why would the workforce want to use their brain if their input is not appreciated in the first place? It is a vicious circle. If you think your workers are stupid, then that's what you will get.

For those of you who know me, you know that I always try to find the positive in every challenge. Have you ever thought that STUPID could also stand for Smart Talented Unique People In Demand? It is always a question if and how you label people, and the perspective you have.

It is sad to say but I know many managers who think down, look down and talk down to their individual contributors. They think their position of power has earned them the right to do so. Many leaders seem to miss the critical leadership skills of respecting people, increasing their self-worth and encouraging them to add value to the business. Letting go of the "command and control mindset" takes courage and trust but it is essential if you want your people to rise to the challenge and learn to suggest great ideas. Most people learn by doing, so why not expand the mindset of your people from generating ideas to implementing their own ideas?

To be a successful leader, please keep these 4 things in mind:

• Believe that your people want to help you and your organization to succeed
• Choose your words wisely - they can either make or break a person
• Focus on what they do right instead of putting them down
• Each day think how you can help the individuals on your team to get better and better and better.

So what is your perception of your workforce? Is there room for improvement? Do you lift them up or tear them down? In the words of John C. Maxwell: "To see how the leader is doing, look at the people."

   

Be the BEST You Can Be!

To engage your workfoce in improvement, visit http://www.wspsolutions.ca/

Is the Status Quo System the Default in your Work?

“There is no instant pudding.” – W. Edwards Deming

We often hear it said that the problems in the daily work are largely ignored. Solving these problems would seem like the logical thing to do. Yet they seem to go unseen. The status quo is a powerful force. The workforce is lulled into believing that this is the way things are because they have always been this way. Learning to see the problems is not something management spends much time on until they become full blown fires, then fire fighting mode kicks in. Once out, the fire is left to smoulder away, only to reappear in the future.

Accepting the status quo is a form of complacency in believing that change is not possible.

Learning to see the problems in the daily work is an important first step in being able to recognize the problem exists. Take for example; a hospital where nurses work hard every day doing their best to care for the needs of the customers. The nurses for the most part are extremely dedicated and caring. Yet, at day’s end they feel frustrated in not getting enough of the right things done.

A study at one hospital revealed, nurses were only spending 30% of their time with patients.  After the problem was identified and work was redesigned, nurses were able to spend 90% of their time with patients.  This led to a significant improvement in the quality of care provided and on the job satisfaction. Learning to see the problem as the low amount of time spent with patients and then accepting that the status quo could be changed was the secret to this success.

Yes the change involved hard work. Yes the change was not accomplished overnight. The effort and the dedication of all involved did provide a significant benefit for both patients and workers.

What kind of joy and satisfaction does your workforce experience in the work they perform?

Want to learn more about how to see the problems hidden in the status quo?

Visit www.wspsolutions.ca or  email me at leanthoughtstarter@gmail.com

Want ideas? –Ask your workforce!

“These are all common-sense ideas that anybody with half a brain could have figured out years ago. Instead of spending beaucoup bucks on consulting and design, the hospital administrators could have done what they should have done in the first place, and simply asked the nurses for their suggestions.” – Unknown

The best solutions to problems encountered in the daily work can most often be found with the experts involved in actually performing the daily work. We spoke of constraints and standards. Now we need to consider trust for a moment.



How many managers would trust their workforce to design the daily work?

Would you be comfortable in allowing a front line worker to alter a process?
How would you feel about having a component design altered by an assembler?
What if a material handler redesigned how the warehouse was laid out?

Chances are the concept has some fear attached to it for you. To make these kinds of changes, we would typically rely on experts, like; consultants, suppliers or process/design engineers. Truth is they may offer some excellent ideas. To do so though, overlooks the expert resources right there in your own organization. The people, who perform the work every day, probably have some creative insights.

That material handler may prefer to have the fastest moving items close at hand to make picking and stocking faster.
The assembler may have recognised a small change to a component can eliminate the need for an additional fastener, making assembly less complex, reducing the number of parts and speeding the process.

Before the workforce starts changing things, there needs to be some learning, procedures, disciplines and trust.

The workforce will need some tools, standard disciplines to trial changes, communicate results with all affected, obtain test results, analyse the effectiveness and impact of the proposed change; all before implementation. In this way the downstream customers will know that care has been taken to ensure any change implemented has been well thought out.

Management doesn’t really need to do the thinking for everyone. Think of the weight off your shoulders if the entire workforce has a shoulder to the wheel and is working daily to create and deliver the highest possible customer value through relentless innovation.

Want to learn more about fully engaging your entire workforce?

Email me leanthoughtstarter@gmail.com

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Constraints, are they helping you innovate?

‘Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame.” - Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Your job has specific areas of responsibility. These will define where your work begins and where it ends. Inputs are provided and outputs are produced. Your outputs are for an internal or external customer. In some cases you may provide outputs for both internal and external customers.

This is your sand box. In this framework of limits is where you will look for problems that need solutions.

But where do you start?

Start with the problems that affect the daily work. What wastes can you identify and eliminate.  Do you want to look for things that can be done better? No. You want to create a vision of perfection and then remove those problems one by one that prevent your vision of perfection being reality. Consult with your internal and external customers; they should have no problem telling you what problems they see inside your constraints that are impacting them.

You may have heard it said that necessity is the mother of invention. In your world the constraints you must deal with will motivate a higher level of problem solving. The goal is to find no cost, low cost solutions to your everyday work problems. It is unlikely you will get any support or resources to make the changes you see are required. This will help kick your innovation abilities to a new level.

The more defined this frame of constraints is, the better.

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