Posted by Rick Bohan, MAR 30, 2020
In the point of view of Rick, agility isn’t better than “lean.” Rather, it’s that organizations sometimes go into a lean initiative with the wrong vision. Too often, lean is seen as “cutting away” rather than “creating. ” It’s seen primarily as a cost-reduction tactic rather than a market building strategy.
The primary focus of any lean initiative should be building capabilities. Core capabilities of innovation, collaboration, and, in particular, agility, will serve as the foundations for adding new customers and building new markets.
Agility enables organizations to respond quickly and effectively to customer demands and needs. It also enables companies to bring successful new products to the market faster. Finally, it enables companies to respond more quickly to sudden changes in the environment—changes like oil shocks, the loss of major customers, and worldwide pandemics. Simply “being lean” doesn’t assure any of this.
The good news is that the methods and concepts that provide the foundation of a lean initiative are much the same as those needed to be successful in building agility. Workplace organization allows operators and supervisors to see, at a glance, whether processes are in control or not. When they aren’t in control, visual management enables employees to spot and address problems quickly. Analysis and continuous improvement of processes leads to reduced cycle times. Identification and elimination of delays, waste, and errors build capacity.
The primary focus of any lean initiative should be building capabilities. Core capabilities of innovation, collaboration, and, in particular, agility, will serve as the foundations for adding new customers and building new markets.
Agility enables organizations to respond quickly and effectively to customer demands and needs. It also enables companies to bring successful new products to the market faster. Finally, it enables companies to respond more quickly to sudden changes in the environment—changes like oil shocks, the loss of major customers, and worldwide pandemics. Simply “being lean” doesn’t assure any of this.
The good news is that the methods and concepts that provide the foundation of a lean initiative are much the same as those needed to be successful in building agility. Workplace organization allows operators and supervisors to see, at a glance, whether processes are in control or not. When they aren’t in control, visual management enables employees to spot and address problems quickly. Analysis and continuous improvement of processes leads to reduced cycle times. Identification and elimination of delays, waste, and errors build capacity.
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