Want to change for the better? Avoid these pitfalls, I kept falling into ??

This year, 2020, I'm 25 years in the business of "continuous improvement". In various roles I've tried - time and again - to establish a "self propelling" proces of continuous improvement, based on lean principles, together with my clients, colleagues and partners. And although it’s hard to admit: it wasn’t always a success. There are some pitfalls—which people keep on falling into, as I have done. What can we learn from that?

I encountered these three major pitfalls, and I will explain what I learned in the process.

Pitfall 1: Seeing Lean as a Set of Improvement Tools

At the first introduction to Lean the methods, the tools, and techniques are the visible change. But these are no more than an effective way to make problems visible and understandable. Methods and techniques themselves, however, do not change people’s mindset and behavior. This is much more determined by how you use the tools and how you deal with people.

Pitfall 2: Implementing Lean by Sending People on Training

Giving people knowledge about Lean is not so much a wrong step, but it’s just the very beginning of the change process. It helps to raise aware- ness and develop a common language, but it is not enough to actually achieve continuous improvement. This requires daily practice and coach- ing. Training alone does not change mindsets and behaviors. People move on to the order of the day fairly quickly after the training. Certainly, as long as they are being managed in the old way.

Pitfall 3: Wanting to Convince Others

It is very tempting to use one’s own belief in Lean to convince others so that they also want to work with it. Use your conviction and belief in the Lean principles not for others but for yourself. Apply the principles to your own work and develop yourself in this way. By showing others your new way, they may become inspired and stimulated to experiment and improve their own work based on Lean principles.

What are the pitfall have you been falling into (over and over) and how did you become aware of them? What do you do to avoid them?

Send me a message or make a comment and let me know.

Arnout

PS These pitfalls and other reflections, looking back on 25 years of learning (to teach) improvement, you'll find in my book "Lean Thinking in Healthcare" (Orelio 2021, Chapter 14), to be published in 2021 in English. [ Dutch title: Mensen Beter Maken (Orelio, 2019) ]

Learn (more) at leanthinkinginhealthcare.com