The Standard Group is a print management and marketing logistics company based in Reading, Pennsylvania. They specialize in everything from marketing management and direct mail to commercial printing, warehousing and fulfillment, and promotional products. The team at Standard Group has been using KaiNexus to spread their improvement culture since 2017, when Nick Shonsky, their Director of Continuous Improvement, learned about our software from a friend using KaiNexus at another company.

When Shonsky first learned about the eight wastes of Lean, there were two wastes that stood out to him - Defect, and Overproduction. Both of these are inherent in the printing industry, making them a perfect target for waste reduction improvements.

Our team was fortunate enough to be able to visit The Standard Group. The moment I walked onto their print shop floor, I immediately saw how the organization embodies continuous improvement. Hanging from the ceiling throughout the floor are two giant banners - one listing the eight wastes and the other depicting The Standard Group’s Continuous Improvement Pyramid of Success:

The renowned football coach and philosopher, Vince Lombardi, once said, “Perfection is unattainable, but if we chase perfection, we catch excellence.”

That’s the mindset of a Lean organization. There’s a bedrock belief that every process, investment, employee, or action should directly translate to value for the customer with no waste. That ideal is unattainable, of course, but Lean organizations try to get close to it every day, and in doing so, reach a level of success that their competitors can only envy.  Every Lean organization is unique, but there are some core qualities that they tend to have in common.

Ever wonder why factories, warehouses, grocery stores, and other similar businesses usually have a sign that says something like, "Accident-Free for 82 Days." It's because the simple act of measuring and reporting that number makes it evident across all levels of the organization that this metric is important. We measure what matters. No one wants to be the guy who sets the sign back to zero.

Measuring and reporting continuous improvement metrics sends a clear signal to the organization that this is important. When people know that you're tracking data around their improvement work, there's an increased sense of accountability that drives engagement and activity.

Leaders that we speak with get very excited about the idea of creating an improvement engine within their organizations. Who doesn’t want a team of players always looking to edge closer to perfection? Of course, achieving this goal is harder than it sounds.

We’ve found that leaders who struggle to create a culture that thrives on improvement make one or more of ten common mistakes. These challenges are probably not breaking news if you’ve been a leader for a long time, but it can’t hurt to check in with yourself from time to time and make sure you are avoiding these behaviors. If you are a new leader, this is an excellent “don’t” list.

Because so many of our clients and employees are current or former healthcare professionals, a lot of our attention has been on the impact of COVID-19 on our nation’s hospitals. Hospitals belong to the class of organizations called High Reliability Organizations or HROs. (Nuclear energy facilities, airlines, and certain military operations are also on that list.)

When something goes wrong at an HRO, the consequences can be disastrous. Fortunately, they succeed far more often than they fail. That’s because they practice five driving principles that inform every decision and permeate the culture.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve noticed the application of these principles outside of organizations usually considered HROs. Individuals and organizations are applying them, probably unknowingly, to deal with an extraordinary situation and uncertain times.

Before I start this post on how to keep a workforce that has suddenly moved to a remote model due to the coronavirus engaged and motivated, I want to begin by acknowledging those workers who can't do their job from home.

Without the hospital staff, grocery store workers, pharmacists, first responders, delivery drivers, utility workers, assisted living employees, and countless others in our communities, this situation would be even worse than it is.

We see you. We thank you.

When every day feels like this nightmare we’ve found ourselves in has gotten worse, and there’s no end in sight, it’s hard to remember to look for the bright spots. In times of crisis, though, we must remember to - in the words of Mr. Rogers - “look for the helpers.”

All over my community, and I’m sure yours, people are coming together to make sure everyone is fed, that local businesses will be able to weather this storm, and that we’ll all make it through to the other side in one piece.

Here’s an example of “the helpers” that brings me to tears every day when I see it.

In my city, enough of the students NEED free breakfast and lunch that the entire school system just gives it to everyone. When schools around the country started closing in response to COVID-19 last week, my Facebook feed was suddenly full of panicked posts from local friends worrying about how the kids in our city would be fed.

When we chat with people about making the switch to digital continuous improvement, many of the benefits are immediately apparent. People know that using software with workflow capabilities to manage projects is a much better option than using spreadsheets and email. They sense that having a platform designed for the purpose will streamline work and get individual projects across the finish line more often.

The topic of this blog is a question that we get quite often. Teams will implement a continuous improvement program with much enthusiasm and tons of activity, but over time, the momentum slows, and new opportunities for improvement come less and less frequently. If you are in this boat, you are definitely not alone.

Because so many folks have experienced and talked to us about this, we have some advice.

Let's start with two things not to do.

While it is a little dated, The Deloitte University Press Global Human Capital Trends 2016 report has probably the most useful definition of culture and engagement that we’ve seen. The report notes that “Culture describes the way things work around here, while engagement describes how people feel about the way things work around here.”

That simple statement explains why a Dennison Consulting study found that organizations with thriving cultures have a 72% higher engagement rate than those without.

What’s shocking, given that 85% of the 7,000 plus executives Deloitte surveyed ranked engagement as a top priority, is that fewer than one in three executives reported that they understand their organizations’ culture.

If you want to move the lever on engagement, you must address culture, but how?

Here are seven things that leaders can do to start changing “the way things work around here.”