Manufacturing Perspectives: Adam Lawrence on Making Lasting Improvements

Why do good improvements fade, and what does it take to make them last? Adam Lawrence, the Kaizen Ninja, says look at the process and the leadership before you blame the people. In this full interview, I sit down with Adam Lawrence, founder of Process Improvement Partners and creator of the Wheel of Sustainability. Why improvements don't last: Adam starts with "our people are the reflection of their process and the leadership that they have." He explains the one-point lesson ("It's one page that describes the three most important things and why they're so important."), the Wheel of Sustainability ("nine simple elements that you can place around any change to help sustain it"), and "five leadership behaviors that are immediately observable." Leading without fear: Adam's free Sustainability System Assessment, why no one should be made to feel bad about not knowing a term, and "butt ugly by Friday." In his words: "We don't want people to be afraid of improving their world." Then the Gemba: "Show me questions means I actually want to learn and I actually want to help." Checklists and standard work: "we need to design it with a person using the tool in mind," "My teams always build their own work," and how a Kaizen event solves a critical problem in a week or less. Making it stick: "it's a whole system," the one thing a plant manager should do this week ("Go to the Gemba and go see what's going on. Ask your folks what's in their way."), and why "They own everything. I own nothing." Chapters 0:00 Welcome and meet Adam Lawrence 0:56 The one problem every industry shares 1:44 People aren't the problem, the systems around them may be 2:56 What improvement backslide looks like 5:18 Context without bloated documentation: the one-point lesson 7:02 The Wheel of Sustainability 9:07 Five observable leadership behaviors 11:52 Qualitative vs. quantitative results 12:44 Adam's free Sustainability System Assessment ↳ Take the free assessment: https://pi-partners.scoreapp.com 15:37 Is there a dark side to lean? 16:49 Butt ugly by Friday 18:10 Leadership at the Gemba: yes/no vs. show-me questions 19:17 The St. Helens, Oregon plant story 23:40 Checklists: necessary evil or good design? 25:42 When documentation can't keep up with the floor 26:47 Teams build their own standard work 29:43 Kaizen in a week or less 32:43 5S as a whole system 34:25 Area owners and weekly audits 38:03 One thing a plant manager should do this week 39:19 The Socratic method and ownership 41:27 Closing thoughts Learn more about Adam Lawrence and Process Improvement Partners: https://www.pi-partners.com More from Brian Wood, Manufacturing Engineering Mastery: https://memastery.com Subscribe to Engage For Quality for more from manufacturing leaders. Manufacturing Perspectives: conversations with leaders at every level. #ManufacturingEngineering #ContinuousImprovement #LeanManufacturing