May 2005

Lean Change

By Dutch Holland

Change is no longer the exception but the rule. Most companies today are in a constant change position, with a number of change initiatives underway… hopefully all aimed at making business better.

But there is a problem. In most organizations we have seen, change is problematic…slow, cumbersome, confusing, disorganized, inefficient, and in many cases, downright ineffective.

“How can this be?” you say. We have been in the “heat of change” for well over a decade. How can change still be problematic? While we don’t know all the reasons for messy change, we do know the right direction for the solutions.

Solution One: Change must be seen as a work process, as a value stream of work that moves a business organization from one operating state to another more effective state. We must stop seeing change as a “transaction” or a one-time event, but as a core process of businesses that are required to keep changing to stay competitive.

Solution Two: Waste must be eliminated from the change process. For many companies, the principles and tenants of Lean Manufacturing can be directly applied to reduce the waste in their change process. Key Lean steps include

1. documenting the change processes or “value streams” that have actually been used in one or more of the company’s change initiatives, and
2. performing a Kaizen Event to identify and eliminate non-value-added change steps, and finally
3. subjecting the change value steam to continuous improvement (Kaizen).

Bottom Line: For companies to thrive in today’s world of continuous (or at least “frequent”) change, they must really “get good at it” – they must practice Lean Change!

For more information about the techniques of Lean Change, call Dutch Holland directly at 713.877.8130.

Dutch Holland, CEO of HDI, has worked as a management consultant for 30 years, helping organizations and leaders manage and implement change successfully. And if you enjoyed this short article, you'll love his book, Red Zone Management: Changing the Rules for Pivotal Times (Dearborn Trade, Chicago, Fall 2001, released with new cover by WinHope Press (Houston) October 2004)). Check your local bookstores or read a review at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com! Contact Dutch at 713.877.8130.

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