Create instant change, now.
January 23, 2009 by david.evanson
One of the questions that comes up on some forums is: “Why is the implementation of Lean/OEE activity so slow?”….or “What can we do to speed up our Lean implemenation?”.
I believe that I know a way that you can create huge, unstoppable change almost instantly.
Firstly, I would say that any improvement initiative will be very slow to implement if there’s no driving need to change. In fact i believe that if there is a big enough need to act differently, i.e. enough desire to improve or enough need to stop hurting, then change will be not just fast, it will be instantaneous. I also believe this is to be a universal human truth for all behaviour, not just manufacturing improvement.
The principles of NLP state that there are 2 key motivational factors to enable change:
- A need to move away from a current source of discomfort or pain. We call this “away” motivation.
- PLUS a desire to move towards a source of pleasure or enjoyment. We call this “towards” motivation.
**read more about motivation types at the excellent Pegasus NLP Blog**
In order to achieve change all individuals, and therefore organisations, need to have an appropriate balance of these 2 factors. Therefore, the ability of an organisation to change is directly proportional to the need for that change to be implemented, and this need is generated by combining the need to avoid particular results whilst simultaneously achieving better performance.
When the right level of “towards” and “away” motivations exist in an organisation we say that the team have ‘a burning platform’ to change. With a burning platform in place change happens. Fast. Unstoppably.
I wrote a blog about “the burning platform” a very short while ago: http://oeejourney.optimumfx.com/2008/12/17/burning-platforms-for-change/
EXAMPLES:
- I’ve worked in bottling sites that are so profitable (especially in the spirits industry) that implementing minor changes has taken >36 months.
- I’ve also worked in soft drinks sites where OEE has jumped from the low 50’s to the high 70’s in 12months.
- Most radically in a powder packaging factory where OEE jumped from 23% (and about to massively short on customer orders) to 68% in only 8 weeks.
The contributing factor in each environment is the level of pain that’s felt by the management and operator teams. In the powder packaging example they were in such deep trouble it was almost literally “change or die”. In this environment change is fast, radical, and all-consuming - infact the challenge is to slow it down and make sure the changes are sustained.
So here’s a really great question for you to ask yourself:
“How can we create the right level of need to change in our business to achieve our business and personal goals?
Innovate or die? - the brink of a revolution
January 10, 2009 by david.evanson
I’ve just been reading an article in the Food Manufacturer (Rick Pendrous, 02/01/09) in which he claims that supermarkets such as Tesco are allegedly seeking as much as a 5% price drop off products such as ready meals and other core products.
The article states “Tesco are very demanding,” said one chilled food supplier that was asked to cut its prices. “We will end up very wounded indeed.”
Are you reading this and thinking similarly? Perhaps you are already being challenged on your costs and have made the first step of laying off your temporary labour, but still being requested to hit targets and improve efficiencies. If this is the case then news that the supermarkets are going to be challenging your sales teams for further price cuts….which you are likely to be requested to deliver.
In my opinion this leaves many manufacturers with a choice: Innovate (And improve). Or die.
In my belief this environment could well lead UK manufacturing into a new era of innovation. Over the next 12-36 months i believe we will some of the things we will experience are:
- Greater demands for output
- Greater constraints on labour costs
- Greater focus on ROI
- Pressure from retaillers to drop cost
- Greater constraints on capital expenditure
Resulting in:
- Any sites that act too slowely will be shut
- Any sites that choose not to act will be shut
- Major changes for the sites that want to survive
If you want to survive expect:
- Change. Lots and lots of change
- A resurgence in lean and CI implementation
- More continuous improvement projects being implemented
- Greater focus on KPI’s and numerical performance
- Greater emphasis on improvement
- Individuals held more accountable for delivering change rather than just ‘doing the day job’
- People management skills will be at a premium
- Your site will introduce improvement projects with greater emphasis on internal team delivery
- To be involved with consultants and CI experts to support projects
If you’re slow adopting these changes my belief is that times will get very difficult…and you may not last the year, or even the next 6 months.
Many of us will have heard of “The Toyota Way” of production, when will you start to create “Your way”, and what will it contain?
The end result? I believe we are on the brink of a CI revolution in the UK. I believe that over the next 3 years we may well witness if not some new techniques, then some new ways of applying age-old techniques. I can’t wait to be involved!!!
