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Gotta Go Lean Blog

Leadership

In short, leadership is the act of one person uniting and motivating others toward a common goal. Leadership is part natural (as in “natural-born”), but is greatly refined through training, practice, and constant learning. Confidence in oneself is a key component of leadership. While leadership is generally considered a positive trait, it can be dangerous when a leader lacks ethics. The goal that leaders point others toward is not always a positive one. Leadership and Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Knowledge

Knowledge is the body of facts and information surrounding a specific topic. That topic can be about processes, company policies, knowing who to speak with to get things done, or general skills. In fact, it can be about practically anything. Knowledge has the trait of specificity. That just means that it is relevant only in certain situations. A very smart person without specific knowledge can be very ineffective. Likewise, an uneducated person who knows which Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Kanban

A kanban is a signal that gives an instruction to get, move, produce, order, or take some other activity with production materials. Its literal translation from the original Japanese term, though, is “signboard” or “billboard”. Kanbans tell you when to order, what to order, how much to order, and where to order it from. The ordering, though, is not necessarily from an external supplier. It may also be from an upstream process or some other Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Just-In-Case

Just-in-case is a play on words of just-in-time manufacturing. Contingencies are one of the main reasons why people do many of the non-Lean activities that hurt an organization. Holding inventory just-in-case a shipment is late Batching some extra just-in-case there is a problem Buying an extra machine just-in-case it breaks down Having a big safety stock just-in-case there is a quality problem The behaviors in the list above are understandable, and even appropriate, if the Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Job Security

Job security is the feeling of safety that one’s job will be there in the future. Because job security is so closely linked to basic needs, like shelter and food, people react with strong emotions when their job security is threatened. In fact, job security falls into the first level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. On the surface, Lean and other continuous improvement efforts seem to be contrary to a person’s job security. Often, managers Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Intangibles

Many of the benefits of Lean are specific and tangible. Space savings, productivity gains, and inventory reduction all fall into this category. Some of the benefits of Lean, though, are intangible. They are the things that are not clearly perceptible. How can you define the impact of a focus on problem solving? How do you measure a continuous improvement culture? What about an improved sense of teamwork or ownership of processes? There is nothing inherently Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Facilitation

The dictionary definition of facilitation is to make something easier. In this broad definition, facilitation covers a lot of ground. But in the continuous improvement definition, facilitation has a few specific characteristics. Facilitation is generally done for groups, not for individuals. Facilitation is most common for discrete projects. You might see a facilitator for a kaizen event, but probably not just to help with day-to-day operations. Facilitation should focus on tools, not processes. A facilitator Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement describes a state of workers’ full commitment to the success of the company. Employee engagement is characterized by the worker making the extra effort and linking her personal success to corporate success. Employee engagement relies on two factors: Job satisfaction The ability to contribute in his role A happy person with no skills might be committed to the company, but will not have much value as an employee and will not be able Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Competition at Work. How Lean Principles Can Help.

When you hear the term ‘competition’, you mind likely immediately pictures two companies competing for market share. Google and Microsoft locked in an epic battle. Oil companies fighting over drilling rights. Car dealers offering ever-sweeter incentives. But that’s only part of the competition at work you are likely involved in. You are also competing with your coworkers. In some cases it is for promotions and raises. Other times it can be for choice assignments or Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Executives

Executives are the senior leaders in an organization. They make the sweeping decisions that affect a large cross-section of the company at the same time. These senior leaders are usually the ones responsible for bringing Lean into an organization and setting the course that it will follow. Many executives can be somewhat removed from daily contact with the employees on the frontline of change. However, for Lean to be successful, executives should have a good Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Net Present Value

Net Present Value (NPV) comes from the principle that money today is worth more than the same face value of money tomorrow. Would you rather have $1,000 today or $1,000 in 5 years? That question is easy to answer. Most people would take the money immediately. What about this one: Would you rather have $1,000 today or $1,537 in 5 years? That gets a little harder to answer. The net present value of $1,000 in Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Decision Trees

A decision tree is a tool that helps calculate the expected values of the choices that are available to you. It uses probabilities of events happening and estimates of each possible outcome to help you make a decision. For example, if you called in to a radio contest where you got a chance to choose between a 1 in 10 chance of winning fifty dollars, and a 1 in 100 chance of winning a thousand Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago