Countdown to LEAN: Newsletter 2
Visibility – Flexibility – Simplicity
Visibility
Visibility leads to action. This philosophy should permeant all operational levels, from operational implementation matters, to facilities being open and uncluttered, and software systems being similarly modeled. Likewise company correspondence and communication channels should never be chaotic or garbled.
As a practice, visibility also ensures that the organization is maintaining a broad view stance through careful matching of operations to long-term strategy and through exposing tasks that don’t add value or match group goals. This is more than the usual “best practices” found in most established businesses.
Open dialogue between departments and colleagues prevents crossed signals and provides more opportunities for problems to be spotted. Visible problems are solvable; invisible problems aren’t. Visibility at all levels encourages continuous improvement.
As new items arise within the Senate committees and councils, a flexible approach enables us to shift focus and pay more attention to newer items integrating them into the office’s business for the year more easily. A high degree of visibility means that the organization, the Senate, will have more information and an earlier waning that change is necessary. Visibility is part of the key to making a company more than a sum of its parts.
Flexibility
Flexibility and continuous improvement go together to make a group’s culture and employees tolerant of and even hungry for change. Broadly speaking, flexibility within LEAN focuses on the readiness of a group or organization to respond to a changing market environment, to client needs, and a willingness to restructure (as needed) to survive.
While the latter may not be necessary within the Senate, and flexibility may not fit well within certain Senate process committees—whose process is set and already in a LEAN format—a flexible mindset within such committees is beneficial. Outside of such set process committees
Simplicity
Simplicity within LEAN speaks to its attention on waste reduction. Focusing resources and people power on a complicated problem can usually be alleviated by breaking apart the complexity into simpler components. Often we find simpler problems have simpler solutions. Simple configurations also have lower chances of producing defects or errors due to a fewer moving parts.
This simplistic approach works to create effective value stream mapping: visually representing the value-added and non-value-added activities. And ultimately reducing or eliminating the non-value-added ones.
Our next newsletter will focus on value stream mapping and use the behemoth Senate’s Chancellor’s Funds as a topic for exploration.
Be Genuinely Curious
Genuine curiosity arises from authentic questions. Such questions are ones in which we don’t have an answer in mind, or truly don’t know the answer, so the conversation’s focus is on soliciting ideas and input. Cultivating a culture where these type of questions and conversations are normal lays the groundwork for future creative thinking and brainstorming.
When colleagues pose such questions to you or others, listen to what people say before responding. Let their ideas be fully communicated before volunteering your take on it. Such an approach dignifies the try and signifies your curiosity about a colleague’s thinking, building trust and making it safe for everyone to contribute.