Improvements only top management can make
Extend the concept of continuous improvement beyond the shop floor, understanding that lean thinking/kaizen is for everyone; hear about six improvement actions that are critical to sustained CI; identify gaps in management kaizen activity; frameworks for identifying and closing gaps; leadership standard work.
Learn six improvement actions that must be taken by top managers to support and sustain continuous improvement (CI). Hear about mechanisms to identify gaps in your organization’s management kaizen activity. Understand the gemba for management work — a place where problems are observed and improvements are made. Gain insights about the building blocks that management created to align the actions and behavior of the workforce, strategy, organization and policy. Put in perspective the bricks and mortar, machines and processes, departments and employees following your management system. Learn how to make improvements in diverse environments by going to the gemba, to understand the problems. Come away with suggestions for frameworks to clarify and close performance gaps. Hear about culture, employee engagement, leadership/leader standard work and policy deployment/hoshin kanri.
GBMP, Inc. is a not-for-profit business center at the University of Massachusetts Boston. It offers customized lean and six sigma training for northeast U.S. organizations, contributing to increased employment opportunities and global competitiveness. GBMP produces an award-winning library of continuous improvement training materials, including more than 30 DVDs (such as the top-selling Toast Kaizen). www.gbmp.org
Bruce Hamilton is the president of GBMP, Inc. He previously served as general manager of United Electric Controls, a 1990 recipient of the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing. Hamilton led the company’s efforts to change from batch manufacturing to single-piece flow. He has expertise on the technical side of lean manufacturing and the soft skills needed to engage employees and managers. Hamilton has presented and written about lean manufacturing, employee involvement, visual control, variety reduction and other topics.
