To Err is Human

Does this sound familiar? In a session evaluation on one of our seminar programs, an attendee told me that the least valuable part of the course was the end project because management would never let them try and implement the project. Another told me that her manager gave the go ahead for her project but his boss said no we don’t have time for that. A friend is fighting a battle because her managers are telling the staff that they should forget the process improvement track because it is wasting valuable time.

The problem with this approach is that everyone in the organization is missing a critical point. Think back to your high school science courses and what did the instructor start each semester with? More than likely, they discussed the scientific method. Well, the continuous process improvement efforts are an experiment. We have just changed the names of the steps.

In the course of completing an experiment, things will not flow perfectly. We will make mistakes. To err is human. To drive this point home further, I just finished reading a phenomenal book titled Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmondson of Harvard. I highly recommend that you get a copy.

Amy Edmondson makes several clear points in this regard. First, she says we err because 1) we don’t pay attention;2) because we make assumptions. As Prof Richard Feynman tells us we need to be sure that we don’t assume something is true because we want it to be; 3) overconfidence; and 5) Neglect of the facts.

However, our two examples above demonstrate another factor in arriving at mistakes in our continuous process improvement efforts. What is our mindset going into the process. We can approach the experiment from two perspectives. The first is what Dr. Edmondson calls the fixed or performance mindset. We have all been there. This is where you are hesitant to do something because it may reflect poorly on you. This is also where the bull in the China closet responses enter the picture. When confronted with a problem we respond with the statements that It’s not my job or It is not how we do things around here. We do not want to rock the boat. But experiments can’t flourish when that is our outlook.

The second mindset is the growth mindset. Your goal in any continuous process improvement effort is to first see the problem and then feel the problem. From these steps we then need to create a new corporate normal. That is what comes from experimentation. Einstein told us that if we keep doing things the same way and expect different results it is a sign of insanity. We cannot expect to go through the process improvement efforts and then do things the same way. That mindset will achieve nothing.

Every mistake takes us closer to a solution because we identify what does not work. Every experiment shows us where we are in error in our way of delivering our services/products to the customer. It is paramount that we enter into our process improvement efforts prepared to find what we don’t know. Prepared to enter the process with a sense of inquiry to seek out mutual answers to the issues from all involved, Dr. Edmondson calls these intellectual mistakes. We are seeking an answer to the unknown. We have a problem but are unclear of the answers to who, what, why and when the problem exists. That is why we take the Gemba Walk.

As you begin your journey along the TLS Continuum prepare your mind and your fellow team members for things to go awry. Remember that every organization is grounded in three rules of business. The first is Murphy’s law which as we all know tells us that if something is going ot go wrong, it will. The second law is Schultz’s Law which states that Murphy was too damn (excuse the French) optimistic. The final nameless law says you are both wrong, if something is going to go wrong it already has you just have not found it yet. In all three cases we find the problem through experimentation. There has never been an experiment that has not involved some level of error in arriving at the answer. Adopt a new mindset besides the performance and growth mindsets. Adopt a mindset which tells you that to ERR IS HUMAN.

Looking for the perfect model for improving your organizational processes? Pre-order your copy of the TLS Continuum Field Guide - How the Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma will transform your operations and Program flow to be released in February of 2024

About the author:?Daniel Bloom?knows HR and Change Management. He’s a speaker on transformational HR, a strategic HR consultant and trainer. Looking to ways to enhance your vale to your organization? We now offer virtual fully accredited six-sigma yellow belt certification training. Learn more at?https://tls-continuum-learning-center.thinkific.com/courses/the-road-to-operational-excellence-the-hcm-edition

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