Page 22 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

What Is the Perspective of This Book? 3

At this point in similar scenarios at many companies, the initiative simply loses
momentum or dies completely.
Of course, the mistakes made by both John and Arthur are huge. The plant manager
should not delegate this task, and if he does anyway, he should give John more time to
organize his thoughts. Also, John should make sure he fully understands Jidoka before
passing on this information; the decision should not be made in one sitting; and the list
goes on.

Cultural Change Sometimes Seems Impossible
The preceding scenario, or some variation of it, I have seen dozens of times and so
watched Lean initiatives die as a result. The primary point I wish to make here is that
the decision not to undertake a Lean initiative was based solely on this large cultural
change that a company envisions must be made initially at the implementation of
Lean. It is typically their belief that allowing line personnel to shut down the produc-
tion line is an impossible undertaking—one that will require major cultural changes
that they feel is beyond their reach. Consequently, they decide not to even start a Lean
initiative.
It is true that the shutting down of lines to remedy defects requires a deep cultural
change within the organization. It is also true that this is one of the techniques that
makes Lean Manufacturing so powerful—and it is, at some point in time, necessary.
However, for Toyota, the transformation that was required to make Jidoka a powerful
tool did not happen quickly, it did not happen easily, nor did it happen early on in the
development of the TPS. Likewise, you need not—in fact, you should not, and more
specifically you will not be able to—implement this technique early on in your imple-
mentation efforts. The order and the rate at which Lean techniques are applied is a very
complicated topic. At times, the strategies, tactics, and skills employed are very obvi-
ous, at other times are not so obvious, and at still other times the technique needed
seems completely counterintuitive. I am sure this is a topic you will need to discuss
with your sensei (teacher of Lean) on numerous occasions.
Yet controlling the order of implementing the various Lean strategies, tactics, and
skills is absolutely necessary. To implement a technique such as line shutdowns by
operating personnel on Day One of a Lean initiative is as ludicrous as trying to teach
your two-month-old son to play soccer. First, he must crawl, then he must walk, then
when he is into running, there is some hope of teaching him soccer—before that, it is
not a reasonable goal. Nor is undertaking the huge cultural change of implementing
line shutdowns by operating personnel, at day one, a reasonable undertaking as part
of a Lean initiative. The production plant must first learn to crawl—it must have a
product to sell, must have good leadership, good problem solvers, and a willingness to
change. Only then can it walk and develop a solid quality system with high levels of
product stability, good process stability, and a deep understanding of variation. Build-
ing on this foundation, it can now try to run by learning about quantity control and
such techniques as JIT and Jidoka. Afterward, it can endeavor to play on the field—and
be a part of the game—which is the cultural change needed to solidify and perpetuate
the system.
To try to dramatically change this natural progression is to invite, if not guarantee,
failure. A failure just as large as if you actually expected your two-month-old to venture
onto the soccer field and compete—something that is patently ludicrous. And if you
have seen the things I have, you would agree that both are ludicrous.