There's a funny cartoon over at ONEFTE.com about suggestions and employee ideas. The post is titled “Where good ideas go to die.” One time in a hospital, a heard a team member say that about their suggestion box.
The cartoon helps illustrate why Kaizen has to be a non-bureaucratic approach to improvement. Kaizen is not the suggestion box. Kaizen is focused on people taking action on their own ideas, not running an idea up the flagpole for a slow, distant approval by a committee. Our upcoming Healthcare Kaizen book covers all of this and more. This video from MD Anderson discusses their Kaizen process.
On Saturdays, I like to post a video or a cartoon that takes a lighter look at Lean and related concepts. Check out those posts here.
If you’re working to build a culture where people feel safe to speak up, solve problems, and improve every day, I’d be glad to help. Let’s talk about how to strengthen Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement in your organization.
