Message Board, direct link to David's Post (scroll down the page) – the board site is defunct.
Here are some comments by David Meier that were worth reading…
His post began:
——————————-
I would have to say that I have seen a trend towards companies that are making a second attempt (or even third attempt for those who were into Just In Time in the '80s) at lean. I do admire people who get up and give it another shot. That is really what is necessary. It is a never-ending journey and I really try to get people to eliminate the term “failure” or “good/bad” and “right/wrong” from the conversation because there really is no such thing. Basically, you either get the result you desire, or you don't. Either way you are going to try again and improve, change, modify, to get a new result, so it is just a series of steps continuously improving.
Anyway I have given some thought to the question of why there seems to be more “failure” with lean implementation than “success” and here are a few observations.
1. Most people (I am going to use people because people make up a company, and a company is really just the people) fail to establish a motivation for implementing lean. I usually start with myself and ask, “Why do I want to do this?” “What is my personal motivation?” Then I need to ask other people, “Why do you care?” You must find out what will motivate other people as well as yourself.
Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Let’s work together to build a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety. If you're a leader looking to create lasting change—not just projects—I help organizations:
- Engage people at all levels in sustainable improvement
- Shift from fear of mistakes to learning from them
- Apply Lean thinking in practical, people-centered ways
Interested in coaching or a keynote talk? Let’s start a conversation.
