Society of Manufacturing Engineers -Join
I joined SME and received my new member package with the typical membership card etc. (typical of other organizations I belong to or have belonged to — AME, APICS, ASQ).
One thing jumped out at me. They offer a membership certificate and a member lapel pin… but you have to request them. They don't ship these items out automatically, you have to request them (or one) — online or via a post card.
Is this a purposeful example of “pull”? I could care less, honestly, about a membership certificate and I'm not even sure if I would need the lapel pin. So, it seems like SME is avoiding the waste “overproduction?”
Some smart aleck might say “they're just being cheap” but that's exactly the point right? If some members VALUE that pin, they can get it. Seems lean to me.
What do you think? Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Or please share the post with your thoughts on LinkedIn.
Don't want to miss a post or podcast? Subscribe to get notified about posts via email daily or weekly.
Mark's new book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation.
He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean.
Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.