We believe at Lean Secrets HQ that the most important skill to have as a lean practitioner is “the ability to influence a behaviour”.
We define a behaviour as “an observed act”.
If lean is to sustain effectively it is vital that the people who work the process are fully utilised and empowered when it comes to developing themselves and their process. If you can influence them to do the right thing as opposed to introducing a tool and telling them to use it, then they are more likely to sustain in the future.

The psychology behind influencing can be quite complex however we have developed a model, that we share with you in our 21 step methodology. YOUR WAY

I would always encourage you before you start any activity to think about what behaviours you want your people to display when you have successfully implemented lean or another improvement enabling programme.

Would you force someone to learn to drive if they didn’t want to?
Would you get a vegetarian to eat meat if they didn’t want to?
Would you get someone to catch the bus to work if for years they’ve always driven themselves?

We have probably all seen in an office environment resistance to applying 5S, or as they see it a reluctance to tidy their desk.

Without the skill/ability to influence the only thing we make easier is the likelihood of failure.

So consider the behaviours you want displayed and how you can influence these.

On with the improvement

Lee