Lean Leadership - In Depth

Migrating to a lean organizational system is a lengthy and involved process. Makarios Consulting will help move your company through the many changes that are necessary to become a lean culture through the following 6-step process:

1. Site Discovery

The first step is Site Discovery. This involves one-on-one interviews with each member of the leadership team, plus an internet-based Site Assessment survey. The information gathered during the Site Discovery is used to:

• Assess readiness for change at the site or within the organization.
• Understand the opportunities and challenges relative to the upcoming transformation.
• Increase awareness of site/leadership strengths and areas for development.

2. Site Clarity

Once the Site Discovery has been completed, the next step is Site Clarity: developing a concept of what the site will look like going forward in the lean migration. Makarios Consulting will help leaders:

• Create a mutually-owned vision statement.
• Develop a sense of urgency to carry the team through the lean migration.
• Conduct a Business Need/Vulnerability Analysis.

3. Leadership Development 1: Moving Past Existing Beliefs

The focus now turns intensively to leadership development. First, it is of key importance to help leaders move past their existing beliefs about the organization so that they can implement lean – and all the new ideas and concepts that come are part of a lean organization – effectively. Once new thought processes have been established, leaders will:

• Learn the characteristics of different leadership styles and how various leadership styles can be used to effectively deal with change.
• Explore the change management process and gain tools to help lead employees through change.
• Gain clarity relative to the site purpose and critical success factors.

4. Leadership Development 2: Leading and Engaging through Change

The next step for the team leaders is to proactively lead their employees through the process changes of the lean migration. To accomplish this, leaders are trained in:

• Situational leadership based upon people’s ability level and their willingness to address change.
• Implementing and reinforcing the changes recommended in the lean mapping process.
• How to align strategy and culture, clarify roles, and identify cross-functional support requirements.

5. Cross-functional Team Development

Once co-located, cross-functional teams have been established as part of the lean migration, it is vital to forge each team into a unified whole. Makarios Consulting will help teams:

• Understand the 10 characteristics of a high-performing team.
• Develop relationships and increase trust levels among team members.
• Adapt more easily to change.

6. Sustainability

The last step in the process is Sustainability. This involves putting practices into place to ensure that the gains made during the lean implementation process are maintained, and that the lean culture becomes the foundation for future thought and practice in the organization.