Manufacturing Leadership Journal

Interactions Need Consistency

So how can we improve workplace interactions and eliminate the ninth form of waste? The first step is to treat an interaction as you would any other manufacturing process: You must standardize the workforce interaction.

Like delivery, extraction, fabrication, or transportation, the interaction process can be systemized to reduce variability and create a repeatable and predictable process.

Once the process is established, it can be applied to any type of interaction.

Accenture’s 2013 Global Manufacturing Study states that “globally consistent, repeatable operating models and reliable, predictable production facilities are fundamental to enabling the flexibility required” for today’s manufacturers. Leaders need a consistent, step-by-step communication process that yields reliable results and is flexible enough to accommodate every face-to-face or technology-enabled workplace interaction.

So what does this look like? It’s how you
open a discussion, clarify the purpose,
develop a course of action, agree on next
steps, and close the discussion. These sim-
ple steps create commitment and ultimate-
ly action for everyone involved. But with-
out them—or if a step is skipped—a leader
could fail to get employee input or not get
to the root of the employee problem. And
that is the source of waste.

Now, beyond these steps, consider how participants interact with one another during the conversation. They need to focus on fostering esteem, empathy, involvement, sharing, and support. Meeting personal needs addresses one of the foundational elements of lean: respect for employees. Another foundational element of a successful lean operation is building trust. Managers can learn how to utilize these principles to ensure positive interactions.

As we address a ninth form of waste— workplace interactions—that is pervasive and distinctly felt when performed poorly, yet never equated with other waste forms in its potential to sabotage the success of any lean initiative, learning to recognize and eliminate it will significantly reduce all the others.

The ROI of Lean Leadership

Manufacturers, in particular, are heavily invested in reducing the eight forms of waste. Left unaddressed, these wastes (or Muda) significantly impair operational and financial performance.

In the same way, ineffective interactions between leaders and those whom they lead can also affect organizational performance. They create cost without adding