It's amazing just how much people will put up within a business.
The wrong tools, the wrong process, unclear instructions... what can become normal is fascinating.
Let me give you an example from the back end of last year.
I was talking to an operator who was using a bandsaw.
After a couple minutes of discussing some changes that were taking place in his department I realised that he was not just standing there talking to me, but rather he was manually applying coolant to the machine!
A few questions later and the outline of a business case was defined; the time saved and throughput increases from having a half decent machine would give a payback of only a few months!
I asked him how long this practice had been going on for, and his reply was that he didn't know because they've always done it this way.
Wow! Until someone is willing to say 'this isn't the best way' continuous improvement just won't become a reality for most businesses.
Anyway, the good news is that my client bought not just a new bandsaw but a couple of additional pieces of kit and their productivity has gone through the roof.
So, what are you and your teams putting up with that might benefit from a dose of change?
Giles Johnston
Author of Business Process Re-Engineering and creator of the 'Making It Happen' online course for discovering simple change management strategies.
The wrong tools, the wrong process, unclear instructions... what can become normal is fascinating.
Let me give you an example from the back end of last year.
I was talking to an operator who was using a bandsaw.
After a couple minutes of discussing some changes that were taking place in his department I realised that he was not just standing there talking to me, but rather he was manually applying coolant to the machine!
A few questions later and the outline of a business case was defined; the time saved and throughput increases from having a half decent machine would give a payback of only a few months!
I asked him how long this practice had been going on for, and his reply was that he didn't know because they've always done it this way.
Wow! Until someone is willing to say 'this isn't the best way' continuous improvement just won't become a reality for most businesses.
Anyway, the good news is that my client bought not just a new bandsaw but a couple of additional pieces of kit and their productivity has gone through the roof.
So, what are you and your teams putting up with that might benefit from a dose of change?
Giles Johnston
Author of Business Process Re-Engineering and creator of the 'Making It Happen' online course for discovering simple change management strategies.