Given Lean is still relatively new to healthcare, it is interesting to me the number of times that I’ve heard Lean practitioners make excuses for the term “Lean” because it usually has negative connotations before being fully explained.  When people hear “Lean” for the first time, they think it means that resources will be “Leaned out” and if they remain, they will have to pick up the additional work.  Of course, Lean does mean doing more with less, but work actually gets easier and less frustrating.  This sparked me to think about a way to proactively communicate what LEAN really means in a simple, easy-to-remember way.  Below is my attempt at that. 

Leadership

Eliminate Waste

Act Now

Never-ending

 

Leadership

How appropriate it is that Lean begins with “L” for Leadership.  The only chance a Lean culture has of being implemented and sustained is with strong, committed leadership.  Leaders must be willing to change their own behavior by setting and communicating a Lean vision, developing and consistently following their own leader standard work, and developing people.  They know that they cannot delegate Lean implementation to a subordinate. 

Eliminate Waste

The second letter, “E,” is perfect for communicating the essence of LEAN.  Eliminating waste is what Lean is all about.  In Taiichi Ohno’s book, The Toyota Production System, he must have mentioned eliminating waste over 50 times.  He abhorred waste, and was ruthless in his pursuit to build and execute a production system that continuously exposed and destroyed it.  Eliminating waste is the only way to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost simultaneously.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Act Now

Lean and analysis paralysis cannot co-exist.  Lean is truly in place in an organization when processes are signaling problems at a high frequency and people are following the scientific method (problem-cause-solution-action-measure) to eliminate the root causes of the problems so they never return.  Lean is about acting in-the-moment to solve problems where and when they occur.

Never-ending

Finally, people with a Lean Thinking mind set will relentlessly pursue the Ideal.  They are always trying to find a better way to do their work to exceed their customers’ expectations and ensure the longevity of their companies.  This, they understand, is the only way to stay ahead of the competition and provide job security.

I hope this acronym helps give Lean a more positive image to the uninitiated.  It certainly has a positive image with those who have experienced its significant benefits.

This week’s article was written by Dwayne Keller, VP and coach for HPP’s healthcare client companies. Before joining HPP, Dwayne spent many years with Alcoa in senior leadership roles and overseeing the Lean transformation of numerous facilities. Dwayne also worked with Michelin and DuPont in various management and engineering roles.  Dwayne holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University and a MBA from Clemson University.