Was Starbucks’ venture into Lean useless?

I received a few messages with this question in reply to my original article.

My answer: Not at all.

Although Starbucks decided to abandon the bells and whistles of what is commonly known in the West as Lean, they have kept the organizational values which they discovered during the exercise.

These are the same values that define the Toyota Way:

–         the Spirit of challenge: by taking on successively greater challenges, and learning from them, the organization continues its development

–         Kaizen: continuous improvement; nothing is perfect and everything can be improved

–         Genchi genbutsu: “Go and see” – actually is the foundation of a new leadership philosophy that emphasizes the role of the frontline.

–         Teamwork: individual success can become possible only within the team

–         Respect: to all people, to the society at large.

As a performance improvement professional and coach, I am convinced that recognizing and remembering these values is more important than memorizing the Lean Glossary in order to get the certification.

In particular, the 5th value – RESPECT – is the core of Toyota values, the one that made the company a global success, and shaped Toyota leadership philosophy.

Do you recall which paragraph in Lean training and certification manual is mentioning Respect?

Now, do you know why many Lean programs fail? 

Please share the question with your network.

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Read more about this:

“Lean” is to Businesses as “Weight Watchers” is to Individuals

“LEAN all over the place. But It Does Not Work.”

Why Most Lean Six Sigma Projects Fail?

Performance Improvement History in Formulas

What Do Starbucks and Lean Six Sigma Have In Common?

#Performance #productivity #leadership #lean #sixsigma #management #keizen