X — It’s odd : you seem really keen about employee training but from what I’ve gathered only one person in your team went to some formal session in the last year or so.
Me — That’s because actual learning implies a real problem and some time on your own. If it’s not a real problem, you can just cruise past it : you’ll learn nothing. And formal session usually fail to provide such real problems.
X — But surely there’s some value in repetition : I’ve been practicing aikido for the last couple of years, and we seem to do the same techniques over and over again. And I do have the impression of getting better at it.
Me — I would guess you’ve changed your focus over the years: maybe it was hands and arms at first, and possibly feet and hips now.
X — How true: our sensei always seems to have a new trick for each of us. For me, it usually entails getting my body closer to the uke. But he can really pinpoint small details in everyone’s practice.
Me — And how difficult is each step he suggests?
X — I see where you’re getting at: each can be really destabilizing. When I’ve something new in my head, everything gets more difficult and things can get really overwhelming fast. It’s really tough. But from time to time, something clicks and some mouvement comes right into place.
Me — That’s the real problem I was getting at: in the business world, we also have tons of them. Double the good and halve the bad is a usual starting point in Lean.
X — Is that the ambition you’re setting to your staff?
Me — Over the years, I’ve find out such mathematical objectives can be really interesting for the technical team. And actually a better one is let’s get it down to zero. It makes kaizen all the more challenging.
X — Isn’t it daunting?
Me — That’s the reason we usually time box our kaizen effort: after a year, everyone is free to tackle a new thorny problem.
X — Fair enough : that’s the « real problem » covered. But what about the « time on your own » bit : I thought Lean was really about teamwork.
Me — That’s my part, as a manager. First, I make sure everyone has time to work on his kaizen. I’ll do a gemba with each one of them every three weeks: it’s a way to show I care, to cheer on recent successes and to spur new steps forward. And off course they need - and can - take some time between each gemba to work on stuff related to their kaizen, learning along the way. Second, part of the learning process is realizing you need others’ expertise to build up your own. Everyone can draw on any expertise from somebody else.
X — I guess it’s the « dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants » from the academic universe.
Me — Exactly, that’s where the magic happens: when you know you have others watching your back while trying new things.
