Comments on: Bad Employees or Bad Leader? http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/ Mark Graban's leanblog.org - Lean Healthcare, Lean Thinking, Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:59:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Why do Leaders Struggle? — Lean Blog http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-22823 Why do Leaders Struggle? — Lean Blog Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:29:01 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-22823 [...] by Mark Graban on January 18, 2007 · 7 comments In a follow up to another short post, “Bad Employees or Bad Leader?“ [...] [...] by Mark Graban on January 18, 2007 · 7 comments In a follow up to another short post, “Bad Employees or Bad Leader?“ [...]

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]]> By: Ron Pereira http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1559 Ron Pereira Fri, 19 Jan 2007 03:39:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1559 Man Mark! I write a novel over on my little blog and get 2 or 3 comments and you write a sentence and get pummeled. Well done! There is a lesson here... hmmmm.<br /><br />Ron Man Mark! I write a novel over on my little blog and get 2 or 3 comments and you write a sentence and get pummeled. Well done! There is a lesson here… hmmmm.

Ron

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]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1558 Mark Graban Thu, 18 Jan 2007 23:22:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1558 Oops, sorry. The Society for Women Engineers is great, but they might not have anything to offer on TWI! Oops, sorry. The Society for Women Engineers is great, but they might not have anything to offer on TWI!

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1557 Anonymous Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:59:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1557 That's google search "TWI SME"...(typo above) That’s google search “TWI SME”…(typo above)

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]]> By: Lester Sutherland http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1555 Lester Sutherland Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:30:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1555 Obviously Bad System. It has already been mentioned that employees need to help develop Standard Work. They now need to be asked what can be done so they can follow the Standard Work, have them hel improve the situation. Obviously Bad System. It has already been mentioned that employees need to help develop Standard Work. They now need to be asked what can be done so they can follow the Standard Work, have them hel improve the situation.

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]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1552 Mark Graban Thu, 18 Jan 2007 18:11:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1552 I love it how the shortest posts generate the most comments.<br /><br />That's an excellent point, looking at the "root cause" of bad leadership. Lack of training, lack of an overall management system to work within, etc. I love it how the shortest posts generate the most comments.

That’s an excellent point, looking at the “root cause” of bad leadership. Lack of training, lack of an overall management system to work within, etc.

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]]> By: JWDT http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1551 JWDT Thu, 18 Jan 2007 18:03:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1551 I view this as a manifestation of a poor leader. The poor leadership may have many different causes, of which the largest would be lack of LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.<br /><br />What I have found is most managers/leaders have no idea of how to manage in a lean/TPS environment. Yes, we say manage to standard work, but do most of the leaders understand Standard Work, what it is, how to apply it or manage to it? My guess is no, most go back to their comfort level. My two bits! I view this as a manifestation of a poor leader. The poor leadership may have many different causes, of which the largest would be lack of LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.

What I have found is most managers/leaders have no idea of how to manage in a lean/TPS environment. Yes, we say manage to standard work, but do most of the leaders understand Standard Work, what it is, how to apply it or manage to it? My guess is no, most go back to their comfort level. My two bits!

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1550 Anonymous Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:06:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1550 Thanks for the reply! The reason that there would be hundreds of work instructions is that we are basically a large job shop. We build to order here and I can't figure out a way to streamline the number necessary. I'm ok with it taking a while since it is quite a job. <br /><br />The metrics we are wanting are the ones you listed above. I would be thrilled to get any of them into place right now because I think it will help to keep the employees motivated when they realize how far they have come. 5S changes are easy to see and get excited about, but I don't think they have as easy of a time realizing how much their production and quality have increased even in this past year.<br /><br />I did order the Toyota Way Fieldbook just a few days ago. Thank you for the recommendations and the feedback!<br />Michelle Thanks for the reply! The reason that there would be hundreds of work instructions is that we are basically a large job shop. We build to order here and I can’t figure out a way to streamline the number necessary. I’m ok with it taking a while since it is quite a job.

The metrics we are wanting are the ones you listed above. I would be thrilled to get any of them into place right now because I think it will help to keep the employees motivated when they realize how far they have come. 5S changes are easy to see and get excited about, but I don’t think they have as easy of a time realizing how much their production and quality have increased even in this past year.

I did order the Toyota Way Fieldbook just a few days ago. Thank you for the recommendations and the feedback!
Michelle

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]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1548 Mark Graban Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:46:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1548 Michelle -- thanks for sharing your situation, you're not alone.<br /><br />You're absolutely right to not do standard work documentation for the sake of standard work. Think back to "why" you are doing standard work. Communicate this to your employees. "to track their progress on the lean journey" -- what does that mean? Which metrics, specifically?<br /><br />Standard work should be done to ensure/improve safety, quality, productivity, and cost.<br /><br />If you can't get your employees on board with that idea, there are bigger problems than lack of lean.<br /><br />I think you're a little off track in thinking the goal is to write "hundreds" of SW documents. Standard Work is an ongoing process. You have to manage to Standard Work and use it to drive improvement. <br /><br />I'd suggest starting small, in one area. Have the team document the standard work and start managing to it. Have a process in place for improving the standard work (kaizen).<br /><br />Check out David Mann's Creating a Lean Culture or the Toyota Way Fieldbook... or check out the Training Within Industry materials that are out there. Michelle — thanks for sharing your situation, you’re not alone.

You’re absolutely right to not do standard work documentation for the sake of standard work. Think back to “why” you are doing standard work. Communicate this to your employees. “to track their progress on the lean journey” — what does that mean? Which metrics, specifically?

Standard work should be done to ensure/improve safety, quality, productivity, and cost.

If you can’t get your employees on board with that idea, there are bigger problems than lack of lean.

I think you’re a little off track in thinking the goal is to write “hundreds” of SW documents. Standard Work is an ongoing process. You have to manage to Standard Work and use it to drive improvement.

I’d suggest starting small, in one area. Have the team document the standard work and start managing to it. Have a process in place for improving the standard work (kaizen).

Check out David Mann’s Creating a Lean Culture or the Toyota Way Fieldbook… or check out the Training Within Industry materials that are out there.

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1547 Anonymous Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:40:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/bad-employees-or-bad-leader/#comment-1547 This is just where I am at right now! The employees don't want to write or follow the work instructions and I don't feel it is right to force them. It has to be that there is something missing in the training, or I am not communicating which ones are priority so they don't get overwhelmed. It could also be that they are "waiting me out" to see if I will change priorities, as one employee mentioned she was doing. Is it better to have them write work instructions for hundreds of processes in one short amount of time, or to be ok with it taking years? I don't want them to have them for the sake of having them, I want to use them to develop metrics so they can chart their progress on our lean journey. The challenge on this journey for me has been about how to get people on board and inspired on a daily basis since they view it as added work, not as a process to take away unecessary work.<br /><br />Thanks for "listening" to me try to sort this out!<br />Michelle This is just where I am at right now! The employees don’t want to write or follow the work instructions and I don’t feel it is right to force them. It has to be that there is something missing in the training, or I am not communicating which ones are priority so they don’t get overwhelmed. It could also be that they are “waiting me out” to see if I will change priorities, as one employee mentioned she was doing. Is it better to have them write work instructions for hundreds of processes in one short amount of time, or to be ok with it taking years? I don’t want them to have them for the sake of having them, I want to use them to develop metrics so they can chart their progress on our lean journey. The challenge on this journey for me has been about how to get people on board and inspired on a daily basis since they view it as added work, not as a process to take away unecessary work.

Thanks for “listening” to me try to sort this out!
Michelle

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