I’ve spent time recently with a large Fast Moving Consumer Goods company. Part of my time there was to get a group of frontline leaders and support people practicing ‘practical workplace experimenting’. The experimenting was around ‘abnormal’ events they were experiencing on one of their production lines. (These ‘abnormals’ were easy to see. The same people had recently invested time on developing Work Standards for the production line, hence they had defined ‘normal’ [or ‘good’] for output, machine and the operators’ interactions with the system.)
The organisation already had a problem solving tool being a conventional A3 form also represented on whiteboards. I had observed their use of the tool and while it was somewhat effective, body language suggested they tended to be ‘going through the motions’. I suggested this to senior management and there was wholehearted agreement. They volunteered that perhaps there was even quite a dislike of the tool amongst key departments and their leaders.
Opportunity …
We started the workshop with practice on a ‘mini-simulation’ – cause analysis (not ‘5 why’s’, it’s not reality as it has been generally communicated) followed by practical workplace experimenting. It was clear that the participants were ready to take the practicing onto the production line. We split into three groups each to focus on three operations where work standards were already in place (on one production line). By virtue of the work standards being in place, common ‘abnormals’ were known.
First was a ‘cause tree’ (not 5 why’s) then the real learning started – workplace experiments with Plan Do Check Adjust at the core, not over complicated.
These are the main things I observed and heard throughout the day and into the next:
- A Team Lead say “through starting with this experiment we’ve learned that we can now head to a sister machine on the same line and try a similar thing there”.
- Feverish discussion at the operation led by the same Team Lead as noted above.
- A CI person say “it’s a long time since I’ve enjoyed my workday as much as this”. (Perhaps this was the highlight. If people are enjoying the ‘learn by doing’ there’s a fair chance they’ll want to do it again.)
- Peoples faces light up.
- At one particular operation, one experiment leading into another based on what was learned. (This being a primary intent.)
- When the experimenting boundary was pushed, perhaps exceeded, the group was very willing to learn from that. (As opposed to ‘negative criticism’.)
Throughout the day and into the next, I couldn’t help but think of a quote that seems to have numerous sources – “It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting.”