Obstacles to Overcome when Accepting Lean and Transformation within Large Organisations (Part II)
In our last blog post ( Common Obstacles to Overcome when Accepting Lean and Transformation within Large Organisations (Part I) ) we looked at some reasons change programmes can fail in organisations…
Now for our final five….
1. Not invented here
“If we let these consultants come in and tell us what to do what about my objectives and targets?” “What do these guys know about working in a widget factory in any case?”
2. There is no burning platform
“Actually, if this programme of change fails, one thing I know for certain is we will still be here next year” “These are the only days I’ve got in my diary (to create a vision of Lean) …if that doesn’t work then we will have to cut the programme to fit”
3. Fighting fires is fun
“I would love to do it but it’s finding the time, we are so busy you see” “This is not the only thing I’ve got on at the moment, you know?” “Yes, I agree it’s a good idea but, where do we find the time to do the root cause analysis?” “Do you realise how many emails I get in my inbox each day?” “Do you mind if I answer this? I still not my real job going-on at the same time?”
4. Fighting fires is rewarding
“Some of the guys in my team earned more than me last year due to all the overtime they are doing” “it’s just not worth them bothering applying for the continuous improvement role, they can earn just as much money on shifts and they don’t have to worry about all the hassle” “Chris was called in again last night, managed to fix the problem but, quite rightly, he’s gone home now to get some rest”
5. The business accepts incremental change
“As one of my (American) bosses said many years ago sack the “incrementalists” if we want to achieve change”
Our advice is to begin by changing the beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of the senior management team before asking employees to learn new skills and ways of working. Culture change comes before Lean Reliability.
Make an IMPACT, change your thinking today.