Exploring Improvement Keys in Lean Management for Workplace Solutions

HUMAN RESOURCES - APPLYING KEYS

Human resources include all employees within an organization. The most important assets of an organization are the employees; however, employees can either make or break the company. When a company implements a lean structure, the employees are considered the key to long-term success. (The A3 Column, n.d.) Therefore, if an organization does not invest in its people they could be overlooking exceptional resources that could possibly make a huge difference for the company. It is upper management’s responsibility to not only improve their skills but also the skills of their subordinates by asking the right questions. (The A3 Column, n.d.) “People are the heart and soul of lean thinking and without their buy-in, engagement, involvement, and understanding of how it ties to purpose and alignment of their work; then our gains will be short-term gains at best.” (The A3 Column, n.d.) When exploring the 20 keys to workplace improvement human resources relates to the following three keys: Key 2: Rationalizing the System - Goal Setting; Key 3: Team Activities – Engage the Workers; Key 14: Empowering Workers to Make Improvements

An example of how all three keys work together would be employee Performance Management Plan (ePMP). This process is used at Huntington-Ingalls shipbuilding Pascagoula, MS operations. This process is known as management by objectives (MBO) and is completed by each employee classified as a professional worker each year. Appendix 1 shows an example of an ePMP of a Huntington Ingalls employee for the year ending 2013. The bottom line is if you do not have, the support from every employee within an organization from top-down to bottom-up there will always be a gap in the total success of the company. Implementing the keys related to human resources will help bridge this gap to ensure an organizations success. Each of the three related keys of human resource will be discussed in the attempt to achieve an enhanced perception of how each of the keys fit together to achieve an organization goals according to the 20 keys concept - faster, better, cheaper.

2.1 RATIONALIZING OPERATIONS – SETTING GOALS

Key 2: Rationalizing the System – setting goals. One goal setting process is management by objectives (MBO). MBO defined by The Glossary of Leadership as “A participative goal-setting process that enables the manager or supervisor to construct and communicate the goals of the department to each subordinate. At the same time, the subordinate is able to formulate personal goals and influence the department's goals.