Lean webinar
5. Auditing inspection
How did you get the staff to engage in these new ways of working? Submitted by Manjit Sahota.
Jeremy Praud: “Over the years we’ve found that there are a couple of secrets to ensuring staff engagement. The first is it’s no good simply explaining ‘what’ it is that you want your staff to do, it is critical that you also explain ‘why’. Put simply, people have a tendency to engage if they understand the rationale, and agree with it.
“Second, let them come up with their own solutions. When people come up with their own solutions, they have a vested interest in making them work – even if that vested interest is simply personal pride. A few things are required for that to happen of course – you need to trust your staff with the freedom to try things and make mistakes, and give them time to work on improvements without knowing in advance what the exact outcome is going to be.
“Focus on the effectiveness of the process, not trying to judge the precise outcomes in advance of starting the activity – you can always ensure success through practical training in tools and techniques.”