Over the past few weeks I have had many conversations with healthcare organizations that are in the initial stages of their Lean Healthcare journey and are actively seeking a Lean Facilitator for their facility. After much enthusiasm and many resumes screened, most have been discouraged to find that these resources do not “grow on trees”. Phrases like “searching for a needle in a haystack” and “Mission Impossible” have been used to describe the process. The current labor pool is filled with experienced Lean facilitators from other industries; however, many will struggle to translate this knowledge to the healthcare arena. Meanwhile, internal candidates must be taught Lean methodologies and may be too entrenched in “how things are” to see “how things could be. While the typical interview process focuses on past accomplishments as a predictor of success, our experience has shown that the presence of specific behavioral traits may be more useful in identifying the “right” (and “wrong”) candidates. Some of the most significant traits are listed below:
Energy:
Leading a Lean Healthcare initiative can be taxing work and energy is a must. Those who are selected must have the ability to energize teams, especially when the going gets tough. Likely candidates are known for exhibiting a passion for change and demonstrating a “Just Do It” attitude in the course of their daily work.
Interpersonal Skills:
An effective facilitator must be able to build relationships easily with teams. Candidates are often seen as informal leaders or “resident experts” within the organization. They are known for having the ability to “get things done” through influence rather than administrative mandate.
“Eye for Waste”:
The ability to identify all types of waste in processes is paramount to good Kaizen facilitation. Search for those with a reputation for constantly examining their own activities and eliminating waste.
Learning Orientation:
Those selected to carry on the Lean work in your facility must have a strong desire to learn and teach Lean concepts. This will allow your organization to continue to innovate and truly become a learning organization.
Innovation/Creativity:
Truly great Lean facilitators have the ability to pull their view away from “doing what we do better” and drive towards “what could/should be”. A large majority of candidates are adept at optimizing your current state but few can create a vision for a radically different future state that can take your organization to the next level.
Facilitating a Lean transformation requires not only significant effort but also considerable skill. Often the answer to this classic “Make” vs. “Buy” question lies more in behavioral traits of the candidate than any past experience that could be considered a “head start”. While the previously mentioned qualities and traits are only a subset the criteria that must be considered in the selection of a Lean resource, it is our hope that applying these filters will assist in narrowing your search.
This week’s blog was written by HPP’s Marshall Leslie. Marshall, a Six Sigma Blackbelt, is the Vice President of Operations at HPP. He oversees various HPP projects and Lean Healthcare transformations for clients throughout the USA. As a former multiple year “top-ten percent” performer at General Electric, Marshall brings clients the much needed tools and techniques needed in any industry, including healthcare. Marshall is a graduate of General Electric’s Operations Management Leadership Program; he has experience in various supply chain capacities including quality engineering and global sourcing for both GE and Procter & Gamble. Marshall’s expertise in both Six Sigma and Lean enables him to apply a broad spectrum of process improvement tools tailored to the healthcare industry’s needs. He holds a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech.
5 Comments until now
Hey Marshall-
Great post. Dealing with the organizational change aspect is HUGE in healthcare. The greatest improvements are dead in the water if you cannot get people to try them. I’ve seen lean “experts” turn off the very people they are trying to help…
Love the post, Marshall. I think the five qualities you list reach far beyond healthcare alone, they are relevant to lean facilitators in many other industries too!
Marshall,
I find the concept of experienced Lean facilitators from ‘other’ industries struggling to translate their knowledge to the healthcare arena (as you put it), fascinating. To be open, I am in the current work pool, actively seeking my next lean transformation opportunity. My 15+ years of lean experience is top notch, albeit in the manufacturing arena. I was recently turned down for a Lean facilitator position at a local hospital…which gives me a unique perspective as I type these comments.
Reading many blogs, articles, etc. on this subject of ‘finding it difficult to land our healthcare lean facilitator’; I can’t help but believe healthcare organizations are playing the major role in a self-fulfilled ‘mission impossible’.
You correctly point out the current work pool is FILLED, so wherein lies the problem? In my opinion, many organizations are ‘finding the needle’, but then toss it away, thinking it’s perhaps not sharp enough to pierce through the thick skin of lean healthcare.
My thought…we’re right here! We are bursting with energy, possess God-given interpersonal skills, have world-class training in waste ID, are professional trainers & coaches, and bleed innovative/creative juices as a lifestyle.
I do agree when seeking new team members to help in the lean journey, past experience in the right areas can shorten any initial learning curve; but I sense healthcare facilities are placing too much emphasis on something that does not yet exist. How many lean folks do you know that have past experience with one healthcare facility that have since moved on and are now helping out at a new facility?
I believe Mission Impossible can become Mission Possible when healthcare organizations seeking help recognize that proper lean expertise in ANY industry far out-weighs mis-guided lean ‘tools’ attempted within a focused healthcare arena.
To help support my belief, I will end with a few comments on the section you title ‘Energy’. I agree energy is important; however, improperly applied energy in my mind IS WASTE. Working on ANY lean initiative can become ‘taxing’, but if we fail to use some of our energy to ask WHY (5 times!), we miss the boat. I DO NOT BELIEVE any lean initiative needs to be taxing. If it is, what can we change in our current process to make it less taxing? How can I change MY daily routines as a lean facilitator to draw more folks into changing our lean culture for the better? What would it take for our organization to have FUN while pursuing lean gains?
Again, I am fascinated with the perception the healthcare industry has apparently adopted that no lean expert existing in the current work pool is qualified enough to handle the rigors of the job at hand.
If you’re looking for Mission Possible…I say, “give us a shot”.
Great post and comments.
If you browse the bios of this site’s authors, you will note a pattern of Operations and Industrial Engineering backgrounds. This is a natural path for Facilitators as Lean health care facilitation is a hybrid skill set.
The wisest executives will recruit the best talent from outside their industry and pair the recruit with an inside veteran. Such an arrangement has huge advantages over homegrown solutions: typically, the fresh eye sees many things missed by those that have grown used to the way things are and doesn’t have to be trained to think outside the box.
It was refreshing to read the comments which echo 100% the conversations which I have had in the UK.
The organisation for which I work is small in numbers,but big in experience , because we adhere to a policy of promoting the idea of a capable capacity transfer.
To achieve this you need people who can simplify matters, and I applaud the comment about the advantage of an Industrial Engineering background.
One of the basic errors in trying to instill a Lean competence is to try to impress the client with just how many tools,techniques, black arts need to be invoked.
Stick to the vital few, keep it simple ,and promote clarity ,rather than clarification.
Too often managers use the threat of Lean to make sure it doesn’t gain traction, because once you start to define the processes , capture the necessary data , and communicate the reason for doing what you need to do, the managerial emperors new clothes are visible to everyone-
You have made the break-through when push becomes pull…but that shifts the organisational power base, and you need to prepare people for the necessary changes , not the threat of change but the benefit of change.
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