13.9 Discussion and Practice

Consider the exchange described in the introduction.

U.S. manager asks, “Why are you sharing all of this with us? Don’t you realize that we are going to go home and copy the things you are showing us?”

The Japanese guide response: “It has taken us years and years to develop and implement this system. We do not believe that you have the patience and determination to make it work.”

What can you learn from this exchange of ideas that will help you implement lean six sigma? Describe how you would use this insight to better lead a lean six sigma implementation.

Engage a colleague in the three-step leadership definition exercise. To prepare, grab a blank sheet of paper or open a new document. Now, let’s go to work.

Step 1: Make a List. Take the next 60 seconds and consider this question: “Who comes to mind when you think of great leaders?” Write down your responses on the left side of your response sheet.

Step 2: Explain. Now let’s dig deeper. Next to each name, write down a brief statement describing why you think each person on your list is a great leader.

Step 3: Look for Commonalities. In this last step, consider your thought process over the past couple of minutes. What shared characteristics make these individuals great leaders?

Now that you’ve taken a minute to consider the nature of leadership, define leadership. Write your definition down. Be sure to keep it short and pithy.

What are your takeaways from leading this exercise? How can you use this exercise in the future to lead a change initiative?

Using your favorite search engine, find a detailed description of a lean six sigma implementation success story. One of our favorites is the Harley-Davidson story. Harley called its new lean six sigma program Materials As Needed (MAN). Identify and describe how the executive sponsor, program manager, and project managers influenced the successful outcome.

Using your favorite search engine, find a detailed description of a lean six sigma implementation horror story—i.e., failure. Identify and describe how the executive sponsor, program manager, and project managers influenced the failed outcome.

Using your favorite search engine, compare and contrast two additional readings that you might want to share with your team to prepare them to lead change. Remember, we have introduced you to Kotter’s eight rules and Johnson’s change philosophy as well as the Cycle of Change. After looking at these resources, what are your key takeaways regarding your role as a change leader?

Identify a time in your own life when you needed to change something rather dramatically. Apply forcefield analysis to your change initiative. What were the drivers, the resistors, and the resources you used to amplify or attenuate them? Could you have used forcefield analysis to achieve a better result? Now, do the same analysis for a change initiative at work or in another area where you had to engage in a change management initiative.

Identify a time in your own life when you needed to change something rather dramatically. Can you see how the basal ganglia tried to kill your efforts to make change? How did you engage the prefrontal cortex to create the necessary activation energy to achieve success? Could you have used the 5-second rule to achieve a better result?