Why do we Need Continuous Improvement Teams?

Which one is the Worst Waste in Lean (TIMWOOD or TIMWOODS)?

Overview of Lean and Waste Elimination:

• Lean manufacturing focuses on waste elimination.
• The traditional seven types of waste in lean manufacturing are explained using the acronym TIMWOOD (Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over Processing, Overproduction, Defects).

The Eighth Waste - "Waste of a Wasted Life":  Skills Underutilized

• The concept of the eighth waste, termed the "waste of a wasted life," can be the greatest waste of all.
• Life is the most valuable resource, measured by time, and the depletion of life is considered a significant waste.

• Wasting employees' time is equivalent to wasting their lives.

Statistics and Impact on Employees:

• Statistics show that 85% of employees are not engaged in the workplace, and 33% cite boredom as the reason for leaving their job.
• Disengagement is linked to the feeling of life being wasted, contributing to frustration and emotional distress.

Engaging Employees in Continuous Improvement:

• This depicts the importance of engaging employees in the practice of continuous improvement, specifically through Kaizen (good change).
• Engaging employees shouldn't just be generic engagement, but activities that eliminate waste, maintain excellent organizations, and control abnormalities.

Eliminating the waste of a wasted life brings increased profitability (21% more profitable for engaged companies), it's a moral obligation, and the enabler for world-class results through respecting people.

Source: The podcast "The Greatest Waste Of All" hosted by Daniel Crawford, a lean expert at Lean Smarts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsZdct2Zyfw&t=3521s

Why engage employees in Continuous Improvement Cross-Functional Teams?

• Engaging employees in cross-functional teams helps organizations discover bandwidth, by involving more of the organization in problem-solving and objective achievement.
• The approach often helps organizations identify natural leaders among their frontline employees, leading to improved performance and continuous improvement activities.
• The emphasis is not only on utilizing people but also on connecting them to business results, with tools and methodologies available to facilitate the process and achieve specific business objectives.

Source:  Cara Thompson, senior practitioner with Millikan Performance Solutions, specializing in manufacturing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA8gudWYeCY&t=40s

"Sounds Good in Theory, but How Can It Actually be Done?"

• Empowering associates to move from involvement to ownership is the key.  It builds ownership from the floor level to the top of the organizational structure.
• A top-down approach is crucial, but if it's solely top-down, varying levels of commitment from mid-level managers can front-line leaders will most likely lead to disconnection at the associate level.
• Implementing a sustainable system adhering to nine key principles helps develop ownership among associates.  
• Each top and middle leader in an organization should clarify their vision, encourage a culture of ownership, ensure meaningful measurements, provide personal education, and maintain a constant focus on awareness activities to foster ownership in the workforce.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta4PRuaQAQk

Course Forward:

• Consider sharing this article with others to help them see the benefit!
• And if you'd like to learn about a proven, flexible, and sustainable way to engage your workforce in teams that drive continuous improvement, learn more about What is a Pillar and a Pillar Team.  Link:  https://www.beltcourse.com/blog/what-is-a-tpm-pillar-how-pillars-benefit-a-company-quality-management-example

Additional Resource:  How does Continuous Improvement Shifts a Company's Mindset? Does Apple Have a Lean, CI, or OpEx "Program"?

Steve Jobs once emphasized the importance of questioning established ways of doing things in companies.

• In many companies, the response to questioning the status quo is often "because that's the way we do it here" or "that's the way it's always been done."
• Jobs believes in the value of approaching business processes scientifically, with a theory behind why things are done a certain way and a constant opportunity to question and improve.
• He contrasts this approach with the traditional mindset of sticking to established methods just because they have always been followed.
• Jobs sees the shift towards continuous improvement as a fundamentally optimistic perspective on the intelligence and capability of the people within a company, suggesting that given the opportunity, they can change and improve processes.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc6bI16xuko