Be "hard" on waste, but "easy" on people

This is such an important concept that Taiichi Ohno, one of the “fathers” of the Toyota model, the embryo of the lean system, went so far as to categorize the “seven types of waste,” which, in general, are found in practically every process of any organization.

The lean mindset, or lean thinking, has helped countless organizations become more competitive. Everyone recognizes that one of the strongest characteristics of this management system, which leads to this success, is the fact that it develops in people a relentless attitude of seeking out and eliminating waste.

This is such an important concept that Taiichi Ohno, one of the “fathers” of the Toyota model, the embryo of the lean system, went so far as to categorize the “seven types of waste,” which, in general, are found in practically every process of any organization.

Waste is any activity that consumes resources – such as time, raw materials, space, labor... –, but that does not add value for the customer, for example, waiting, rework, inventory, unnecessary movement and overproduction.

The big problem is that waste is everywhere and has been around for so long that people “get used” to it. They live with these inefficiencies every day and come to think they are part of the process, that there is no other way to work.

For a company to serve its customers better, through excellent processes, it needs to develop a culture that shakes everyone out of this lethargy.

This starts with leaders, who need to be “hard” on waste. This means questioning any and all waste they identify, never accepting it or thinking it is “natural,” while at the same time developing this same relentless eye in everyone in the company.

For example, if in an administrative flow we have frequent back-and-forth due to incomplete information, the leader of that process should question why this happens, where it originates, what we can do to prevent it from happening, etc. And not accept answers like: “this happens in another area, there's nothing we can do” or “we've already tried several things, nothing worked.”

But being “hard” on waste does not mean being “hard” on people. This is a very common mistake. When they identify a problem, many leaders tend to look for someone to blame. They immediately look for “who let this happen” and tend to think that by changing people they will solve the problem. However, without understanding the true causes of deviations, the problems will continue, because, in general, they result from how the processes and activities were designed.

In fact, the big change in mental model is understanding that people are the solution, not the problem. That is why we say we need to be “hard” on waste, but “soft” on people.

This does not mean being complacent or accepting lower performance standards, but rather supporting people so that they become good waste hunters.

For example, if a team is below the day's production target, and the leader simply scolds them and says they need to do better, they are being “hard” on people and “soft” on waste, since they did not even encourage those involved to look for it. This only generates fear and a tendency to hide problems.

Being “soft” on people means developing them, asking questions according to problem-solving methods, encouraging them to use their intelligence, continuously improving processes. That is being “hard” on waste, encouraging everyone to look for it wherever it is hidden and eliminate it every day.

Knowing how to differentiate the attitudes we need to have toward waste, on the one hand, and toward the people involved in the processes where it occurs, on the other, is fundamental in terms of management.

This becomes even more important in these times of deep insecurity and instability, of raw emotions, in which social relationships are proving more complex and delicate every day.

If we do not develop in everyone a proactive attitude of improvement when we come across waste in everyday life, it will accumulate, creating a snowball of fears and dissatisfaction that will amplify it more and more.