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CMA's 20 Years - Reflecting
on the Past, Looking to the Future
Dear Drew,
2010 represents
the twenty year anniversary of the forming of Change Management
Associates (CMA). Since 1990, CMA has been delivering
Organizational Development services covering all
aspects of Operational Excellence. Over the 20 years we
have had the pleasure to work with a wide variety of organizations
from many industries. In the early 1990s, CMA provided
Continuous Improvement training and facilitation services to several
healthcare organizations well before the term "Lean
Healthcare" existed. Early customers included transportation
and financial service companies well before the term "Lean
Service" was created. Of course, manufacturing has been a busy
sector as well throughout our existence. We take pride in the
diversity of organizations with whom we have worked. It is
from this diverse experience that CMA can draw on to
develop often creative solutions for our customers.
Milestones give
rise to a need to pause and reflect. Reflection is a key
characteristic of all Lean Thinkers. So, what have I
learned during this time? I have seen "World Class",
"Total Quality Management", "Just-in-Time" and
other initiatives come and go over the years. It is with great
satisfaction that the term "Lean" seems to be here for the
long run - 14 years and counting since the publication of "Lean
Thinking". Perhaps this means that companies finally have
grasped the fact that it has never been about
"programs". Programs, by definition have a beginning
and an end. It is about the manner by which businesses in all
industries should be run.
The common sense people
related principles of Lean are grounded in the Organizational
and Behavioral Sciences. The basic concept of
"respect for people" dates back to Abraham Maslow's
Heirarchy of Needs (1943). The motivational benefits of
actively involving associates in Continuous Improvement can be traced
back to Frederick Herzberg's Job Enrichment Theory (1957).
Most of the lean
concepts and tools date back to the 1920s and Henry Ford's
original flow system to produce automobiles, though the
true origins of flow can be traced back hundreds of years before
to Venetian shipbuilding. Ford even applied Pull Systems
to control the flow of materials between the many operations.
Most of the quality management principles date back to the same
time. Walter Shewart was one of the first to apply statistical
techniques to industrial situations in the 1920s. W. Edwards
Deming developed his oft referenced improvement cycle
"Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)" in the 1950s, and cited its
origin to the "Shewart Cycle", based on the scientific
method, thirty years before.
The concepts and
tools are not new. However, they are seemingly new to many
organizations, and a distant memory to others who had attempted
to apply them in the past. While it is always a great pleasure
to teach the concepts of Continuous Improvement to people
and organizations, and to help to develop the requisite skills, this
has come with some amount of personal disappointment over the
past 20 years. Specifically, companies that have had previous
experience with the principles have been unable to sustain their
application and maintain the benefits that they had realized.
Why does this happen?
It can occur for several
reasons, but most prominent is the absence of a means to
continually develop new and existing leaders and associates. In
other words, the absence of true Organizational Development (OD)
capabilities. Why would companies, regardless of industry,
allow important knowledge and skills to deteriorate or be completely
lost? Clearly, they do not see the benefits of investing
in OD capabilities. But, how else can adequate time be provided to change an organization's
culture? And once changed, how else can the culture be
sustained, and withstand the departure of key leaders?
As I look to the future, it
is obvious that organization's of all sizes and in all industries
must recognize the value of developing in-house Organizational
Development capabilities. Most importantly is ongoing leadership
development. It is the leaders who define culture, and who
sustain it over time. It is the leaders who must teach it to
the general populace of an organization. This important
responsibility cannot be delegated. In order to teach it, they
must have a deep understanding of the concepts and possess the
necessary skills to instruct.
In looking to the future, I
have great hope. More and more organizations appear to have
learned that it is not about "tools", but rather the
way we think, act, interact, communicate and make decisions.
Further, I have seen great interest in recent years in CMA's
"Lean Leadership: Standard Work for Leaders" module, as
well as in our "train-the-trainer" programs
for manufacturing, and office and services. More and
more companies are recognizing the need to develop their in-house
capability. The key for them and for all companies will be to
"institutionalize" the capabilities - to make it part of
their business system or model.
Founder and Managing Director Chanage Management
Associates
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Upcoming Special Event!
Optimizing Flow in Office and
Services
Cambridge, MA,
March 17, 2010
The Lean
Enterprise Institute is hosting a special offering of this workshop
at their headquarters in Cambridge
MA. The workshop
makes use of a simulation to enhance the learning experience.
Check out www.lean.org for more
details.
Next Month's
Topic: Managing the Development Process
There is a clear need for improved management
techniques for the development process. Most companies simply
set milestones, hold periodic meetings, and apply other basic project
management techniques. There is so much more.
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CMA and our network members have
several events scheduled for
"Optimizing Flow in Office & Services"
Workshop
March 17
Lean Transformation Summit
Company presentations by Grainger,
FedEx, Goodrich and Lantech. Learning sessions on Office
& Services, HR, Standard Work.
Lean Product & Process Development Exchange (LPPDE)
Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI)
"Optimizing Flow in Office &
Services", "Policy Deployment", "Lean
Healthcare", and more from LEI the not for profit organization of
the co-author of "Lean Thinking"!
Honda Lean Network
Shingo Prize Global Summit
on Operational Excellence
The 22nd annual conference will
offer workshops, company presentations, tours, and keynote
speakers.
Be sure to check out our publications:
"The Complete Lean Enterprise"
(winner of a 2005 Shingo Prize)
"Value Stream Mapping for Lean
Development"
"Lean Office & Services
Made Simple" (coming in May 2010!)
"Applying
Lean Thinking to Sales"
"Lean
Manufacturing & ERP"
"Lean in
the Office: Even in Creative and Highly Variable Work
Environments"
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