Getting people to agree to play in a corn hole tournament proved to generate less excitement than initially thought. But bring the boards out to start playing and the people come to play.

@Ryan Tierney Thank you for this podcast! The foundation is selflessness in a short word wouldn’t you agree? Tearing down the silos is really tough at the start when the trust isn’t there. One of the ways we are starting to try and team build to tear down silos at our company is to play corn hole on breaks to engage in friendly interactions so the hard interactions come easier with a friendly face.

We've streamlined operations in our starting block work cell! Originally, the variability in product styles made the production sequence complex. Our lean leader innovatively mapped the optimal workforce arrangements for each product, leading to the creation of a comprehensive visual workflow. This standard workflow accommodates all product variations, reducing confusion significantly, and makes it simple to follow even for new employees. We also developed flexible plans to adapt to changes, such as absences of key team members like welders. These improvements have greatly enhanced efficiency and clarity in our processes.

I've been contemplating the transition from a lean focus to a lean culture, and I'd love some guidance on this. Here are my thoughts: First, we must standardize our current processes. It's crucial that everyone performs the process the same way every time. Stabilizing our processes is the foundation for achieving sustained gains from our improvements. Ryan Tierney, in the Lean Made Simple podcast, said, "Without standardization, change is just another form of variation." This resonates deeply with me. Second, we need to invest in training. Our people must learn how to identify waste and understand the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. By teaching them to make changes scientifically, we empower them to drive continuous improvement. Lastly, and most importantly, we should start each day with improvement time. This encourages our team to think about what they can improve during their commute, rather than just focusing on completing tasks. This sets the tone for the day and gets us focused on improvement from the start. To bridge the gap from lean focus to lean culture, what additional steps should we consider? How can we further inspire and develop our team to embody these principles daily?

Teaching people is about helping them learn to find the answers to problems for themselves, and having the freedom to fail forward.