Sensei is typically translated as either teacher or “one who has gone before”. That second definition really resonates with me. It makes me think of someone who has gone ahead of me, seen and experienced it all, and has come back to help me through it. There is an enormous amount of comfort in knowing that someone has already blazed that trail and wants me to succeed in navigating the pitfalls.
There is an innate challenge that exists in the military between officers and soldiers. You see it play out in the movies and you might hear it among retired soldiers, like I have. Often officers in the military are segregated from the enlisted population. Their accommodations, training, duties, and therefore overall experience are all quite different. This typically makes it difficult for the two parties to relate and can lead to friction.
A similar phenomenon exists in our companies. Middle managers and executives usually have little tactile understanding of what is actually happening on the “front lines” of the organization. Few executives have shared experiences with the hourly fabricators, assemblers, technicians, inspectors, or sales personnel. While respect may exist, there is a vital disconnect caused by this inability to relate in both directions.
Without the mutual ability to relate, true engagement may be an unrealistic ambition. In order to bridge the “us verses them” mentality, you need to create a community with fewer distinctions and more shared experience.
There are meaningful solutions that help to resolve the root issue. Creating a culture that recognizes everyone with intrinsic value is relatively straightforward. The key is to establish widespread and effective communication.
Here are three very successful means of developing this level of communication found in Lean enterprises. The first is gemba walking. For the uninitiated, gemba walking is the routine (usually daily) inspection of work areas by management and executives accompanied by questions and accountability. The gemba walk accomplishes several things at once. First, it familiarizes the executive with the value-added processes – something with which she might not have any natural experience. Second, it makes the executive regularly accessible to the people on the floor, inviting their interaction. Third, gemba walking brings instant feedback and accountability to the process. If something isn’t working as anticipated, you can get the information straight from the horse’s mouth and cut out the middlemen.
The second potent means of establishing effective communication is a robust suggestion system. Suggestion systems harvest ideas from the people who best understand the problems and reinforce the notion that “your input matters” to the organization. Be forewarned, suggestion systems that are slow, unresponsive, or dismissive will actually backfire in this regard and instead leave employees with the impression that you really don’t care about their difficulties. Suggestions systems need to be well devised and equally well executed.
A third highly effective means of facilitating great two-way communication is a process the Japanese call hoshin kanri. Commonly called “catch-ball” in the West, hoshin kanri is a means of clarifying a vision or directions by passing objectives down a level for immediate feedback. The ideals are then refined, changed, or accepted and passed down another level for the same digestion process. The effect is a mutually respectful conversation that dramatically aligns an organization around common goals. From top to bottom, there is understanding, alignment, and commitment around all objectives.
The nervous system of any organization is its ability to communication effectively. Communication needs to be equal parts top-down and bottom-up if the goal is to engage the workforce and align itself for success. Consider how effective your nervous system is operating. I suspect that there is room for improvement. What would be achievable in your organization if everyone were pulling together enthusiastically?
Lean in and Lean on.