Maintaining stability in times of uncertainty

January 18, 2022
In early December I had a great conversation with a client. The caller, the Plant Manager, was planning a long well-deserved break. He had worked a VERY hectic 2021 with little to no time off and really needed a break. Where the conversation quickly led to was the fact he wanted to maintain stability in the workplace whilst he had time off.

The organisation had Leader Standard Work (LSW) in place. (LSW is like Operator Standard Work, with a slightly different focus. LSW is the set of clear and defined “leadership tasks” that occur in the work area to support the achievement of expected results and improve them).

What he decided to do was:

  1. Divide his existing LSW between the team.
  2. Work individually with each member of the team to accept the changes.
  3. Train and mentor each person in their “new” LSW.

I had a call with the client just prior to his leave and he had confidence in his staff to cover his absence very effectively. He felt that the support, follow up and assurances that were gained through the LSW would still be maintained…even in his absence. He had felt anxious about leaving the team and creating further instability in these uncertain times. He advised that the team had accepted the changes and the training and mentoring had been minimal as the actual task of the LSW were well embedded.

The LSW included:

Leading:

  • 2 x Daily Operations Walks
  • Daily Operations Review
  • Daily Standard Work Check
  • Weekly Compliance Spot Check/ Audit

Attending:

  • Daily Maintenance Review
  • Weekly Forecast Review
  • Weekly Capability Development
  • Weekly Projects Review
  • Weekly QA Review

He was happy he had taken preventative steps to minimise a problem from arising.

I am looking forward to finding out what happened upon his return in mid Feb.

If you would like to find out more about Leader Standard Work and the stability it creates, contact us.