Lean thinking requires a very different mindset at all levels of the Organisation. Here James discusses how our approach much change based on what we have in front of us.
This week I have been invited into a really exciting organisation that is transforming the way it works. It was clear that they have identified one of the keys to business improvement. Situational Leadership.
Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey developed the Situational Leadership Model over 45 years ago and during my time supporting business improvement I have seen it working first hand to great effect.
The Senior Leadership Team at this particular organisation apply several different approaches, depending on the influence they need to provide. They work incredibly well as a close collaborative team to direct and align the organisation to the strategic goals. To aid this they have broken down any functional boundaries between themselves and have created a circle of trust, importantly integrating new members into this approach with ease.
Outside of their Leadership meetings, they pride themselves on operating within their wider teams as opposed to directing at a distance. This allows them to coach and support their teams in reaching the objectives of the business.
A key behaviour I observed here was the leaderships’ ability to let go a little and allow their teams to try. This meant that on occasion where targets were missed the teams were supported and encouraged to understand why, learning from it in order to never make the same mistake again, sustainably improving the wider organisation.
Crucially this is building wider trust around the organisation which provides a platform for delegation of tasks without fear that targets will be missed or that failure will be immediately reprimanded.
This ability to change approach and adapt as a team to the requirements of the organisation is critical to the successful implementation of lean improvement.