Page 42 - MMI-March-April-2022

VIEWPOINT

WAYS TO BUILD A LEAN CULTURE

A successful company culture is one that can be easily accepted or embraced by

everyone, from the newest employee to the highest-ranking official. Here are a

few essential, tried-and-tested tips to help one build a thriving Lean Culture…

Source: Magic Wand Media

ver time, every compa- tional companies are structured This massive change is not an
O ny develops a culture into departments that make overnight job. Building Lean
them produce in batches, while
that may include strate-
culture is not a fly-by-night
gy, goals, etc. But it is really Lean companies are structured operation. It is not about fix-
about attitudes and practices into value streams that enable ing broken-down processes
that can answer the question, a flow of value to the customer or doing some rejig. It is also
“What does it feel like to work on demand. not something that can be
in a particular company?” Two traditionally managed com- subcontracted to middle man-
When people ask me how I panies might not have the same agers or below. It has to be led
changed a traditional culture culture. Yet, because of their ap- by the CEO or business owner
to Lean, it indicates their intent proach to marketing, production, from the front. Transforming
to change or transform from a and functional structure (batch to become Lean is not a mech-
SANJEEV traditional production compa- production structure), they may anistic thing; it’s more about
BAITMANGALKAR ny to a Just-in-Time (JIT) man- have many similarities in them. people and, hence, it is more
Stratmann Consulting
sanjeev@ ufacturer or service provider. The list of thinking or process of a social transformation. It’s
leanmanufacturing. This transformation is not a ca- examples could be endless and about developing competence
consulting
sual thing, as a Lean company underscores the point that to be- and behavior in people to
thinks exactly the opposite to come Lean, the traditional orga- reduce waste, solve problems,
that of a traditionally managed nization has to change. The chal- and make improvements. This
one when it comes to opera- lenge is enormous, and to build a is a new way of conduct and
tional approaches, underlying Lean culture, you must first build must be taught by demon-
attitudes, and practices. Tradi- a Lean company. stration until it takes root. So,

42 | March-April 2022 Modern Manufacturing India