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Developing Your Lean Education Plan

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 11-11-09

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I am working on my next Leading Lean column and as usual, found myself really constrained by the word length limits of the column. I am writing on the topic of developing a lean education plan. Of course, this probably deserves to be turned into an ebook based on how complex and how important the topic is. While the column won’t be out for a little while, here is an outline of key things to consider:

1. Understand your own environment. Every organization is different.

2. Develop an ideal state for your education plan before working on the details.

3. As you develop your plans, think long-term. Specifically, think in terms of someone’s career, not just next steps.

4. Education is broader than training. Training is just a tool.

5. Consider your constraints wisely. If you conduct training with no impact, it was by definition waste.

As I will expand upon those points significantly, one point that I didn’t have room for was the education plan for your lean leaders. Most organizations have a handful of people that are out in front on the bell-curve. They are your lean thought leaders, lean thinkers, lean change agents. Both their knowledge and passion are out in front and setting the example. Most education plans focus on the concept of catching everyone else up to the lean leaders. This of course is important, because it is the mass under the bell-curve that will move your organization forward. However, you must also continue investing in those lean thought leaders. They must continue learning and developing new skills and ideas. If not, everyone else may catch up. When that happens, there is no one out in front pulling the organization forward. You don’t want too narrow a bell-curve. That kind of organization has no tension in it. You want a bell-curve that spreads out a bit, with leaders and followers.

Your lean change agents will put most of their time into moving everyone else forward. They are probably, by nature, servant leaders. This means they think more in terms of others needs than their own. Make sure there is a plan for their needs. Continue their development. Based on their role and their attitude, I propose the return on investment in further education of your lean leaders are the best dollars you can spend. What do you think? And more importantly, what do you do to keep your lean thought leaders learning?

Comments

  • Interesting article and a great slant. We always talk about change agents but do we nurture that crowd enough. Our in-house education has a tendency to be average, maybe because we make it average.

    Thanks

    Joseph T. Dager November 11, 2009 at 10:51 am
  • Interesting article and a great slant. We always talk about change agents but do we nurture that crowd enough. Our in-house education has a tendency to be average, maybe because we make it average.

    Thanks

    Joseph T. Dager November 11, 2009 at 10:51 am
  • Interesting article and a great slant. We always talk about change agents but do we nurture that crowd enough. Our in-house education has a tendency to be average, maybe because we make it average.

    Thanks

    Joseph T. Dager November 11, 2009 at 10:51 am
  • It is very easy to get someone to sign off on education for the people trying to catch up to the lean leaders and much more difficult to get the sign off for the leaders to continue learning. It is very important to keep people out there learning ahead of everyone else. It not only keeps them engaged and shows them the “respect for people” aspect of lean, it also keeps the whole organization from staling in education. If someone is always out front in learning, then others will be always learning more and catching up. It helps create the continuous learning organization.

    Matt Wrye November 11, 2009 at 11:14 am
  • It is very easy to get someone to sign off on education for the people trying to catch up to the lean leaders and much more difficult to get the sign off for the leaders to continue learning. It is very important to keep people out there learning ahead of everyone else. It not only keeps them engaged and shows them the “respect for people” aspect of lean, it also keeps the whole organization from staling in education. If someone is always out front in learning, then others will be always learning more and catching up. It helps create the continuous learning organization.

    Matt Wrye November 11, 2009 at 11:14 am
  • It is very easy to get someone to sign off on education for the people trying to catch up to the lean leaders and much more difficult to get the sign off for the leaders to continue learning. It is very important to keep people out there learning ahead of everyone else. It not only keeps them engaged and shows them the “respect for people” aspect of lean, it also keeps the whole organization from staling in education. If someone is always out front in learning, then others will be always learning more and catching up. It helps create the continuous learning organization.

    Matt Wrye November 11, 2009 at 11:14 am
  • Jamie,
    As always, a thought provoking post. I expect in these tough times you are seeing the drop off in students from companies who feel constrained to spend on training. I think we all understand that the slow times are when we should spend the most, since we have more available time to learn. But measuring dollars is much easier than measuring the importance of knowledge, so we take the easy route and cut spending on training. Some companies have a vision that makes employee training a high priority and we all know who they are. As we come out of this downturn those companies will be even more prepared to surge ahead.
    The spending on Lean leaders is even more important by an order of magnitud, since each one of them touches and trains multiple people. I like your reference to servant leaders, the writings have been neglected but are still as relevant as when Robert Greenleaf wrote them in 1977.

    Lester Sutherland November 11, 2009 at 1:03 pm
  • Jamie,
    As always, a thought provoking post. I expect in these tough times you are seeing the drop off in students from companies who feel constrained to spend on training. I think we all understand that the slow times are when we should spend the most, since we have more available time to learn. But measuring dollars is much easier than measuring the importance of knowledge, so we take the easy route and cut spending on training. Some companies have a vision that makes employee training a high priority and we all know who they are. As we come out of this downturn those companies will be even more prepared to surge ahead.
    The spending on Lean leaders is even more important by an order of magnitud, since each one of them touches and trains multiple people. I like your reference to servant leaders, the writings have been neglected but are still as relevant as when Robert Greenleaf wrote them in 1977.

    Lester Sutherland November 11, 2009 at 1:03 pm
  • Jamie,
    As always, a thought provoking post. I expect in these tough times you are seeing the drop off in students from companies who feel constrained to spend on training. I think we all understand that the slow times are when we should spend the most, since we have more available time to learn. But measuring dollars is much easier than measuring the importance of knowledge, so we take the easy route and cut spending on training. Some companies have a vision that makes employee training a high priority and we all know who they are. As we come out of this downturn those companies will be even more prepared to surge ahead.
    The spending on Lean leaders is even more important by an order of magnitud, since each one of them touches and trains multiple people. I like your reference to servant leaders, the writings have been neglected but are still as relevant as when Robert Greenleaf wrote them in 1977.

    Lester Sutherland November 11, 2009 at 1:03 pm
  • Thanks all for the comments. Lester, I agree about your point on the order of magnitude.

    Overall, with the focus on training dollars, consider there are other ways to keep learning. It doesn’t always have to be expensive. If a lean leader has a team and doesn’t have a budget, there are many ways from book clubs to brown-bag-lunch seminars that can be done to continue the learning process. It’s important to have the intention and plan to do so. Never let lack of dollars get in the way of having a learning plan. Lack of willingness, that’s a much more dangerous constraint.

    Jamie

    Jamie Flinchbaugh November 11, 2009 at 2:02 pm
  • Thanks all for the comments. Lester, I agree about your point on the order of magnitude.

    Overall, with the focus on training dollars, consider there are other ways to keep learning. It doesn’t always have to be expensive. If a lean leader has a team and doesn’t have a budget, there are many ways from book clubs to brown-bag-lunch seminars that can be done to continue the learning process. It’s important to have the intention and plan to do so. Never let lack of dollars get in the way of having a learning plan. Lack of willingness, that’s a much more dangerous constraint.

    Jamie

    Jamie Flinchbaugh November 11, 2009 at 2:02 pm
  • Thanks all for the comments. Lester, I agree about your point on the order of magnitude.

    Overall, with the focus on training dollars, consider there are other ways to keep learning. It doesn’t always have to be expensive. If a lean leader has a team and doesn’t have a budget, there are many ways from book clubs to brown-bag-lunch seminars that can be done to continue the learning process. It’s important to have the intention and plan to do so. Never let lack of dollars get in the way of having a learning plan. Lack of willingness, that’s a much more dangerous constraint.

    Jamie

    Jamie Flinchbaugh November 11, 2009 at 2:02 pm
  • Actually if you actually let the lean leaders practice lean you are probably doing more to help them learn than anything else. Reading is great, but 10 times better when reading to find solutions you need to deal with issues you have in place. Save for going to conferences. Consultants can be a huge help, but if you just bring in consultants without allowing the changes needed to improve they are not much use.

    Far more than not approving training, or giving the lean leaders any time to learn is not giving them freedom to adopt lean practices and actually make improvements in your organization. That is what kills learning.

    A great lean education plan. Give them opportunities to apply what they know. As they gain knowledge and success give them more opportunities.

    John Hunter November 13, 2009 at 12:19 am
  • Actually if you actually let the lean leaders practice lean you are probably doing more to help them learn than anything else. Reading is great, but 10 times better when reading to find solutions you need to deal with issues you have in place. Save for going to conferences. Consultants can be a huge help, but if you just bring in consultants without allowing the changes needed to improve they are not much use.

    Far more than not approving training, or giving the lean leaders any time to learn is not giving them freedom to adopt lean practices and actually make improvements in your organization. That is what kills learning.

    A great lean education plan. Give them opportunities to apply what they know. As they gain knowledge and success give them more opportunities.

    John Hunter November 13, 2009 at 12:19 am
  • Actually if you actually let the lean leaders practice lean you are probably doing more to help them learn than anything else. Reading is great, but 10 times better when reading to find solutions you need to deal with issues you have in place. Save for going to conferences. Consultants can be a huge help, but if you just bring in consultants without allowing the changes needed to improve they are not much use.

    Far more than not approving training, or giving the lean leaders any time to learn is not giving them freedom to adopt lean practices and actually make improvements in your organization. That is what kills learning.

    A great lean education plan. Give them opportunities to apply what they know. As they gain knowledge and success give them more opportunities.

    John Hunter November 13, 2009 at 12:19 am
  • John, learning by doing is indeed the best kind of learning.

    Jamie Flinchbaugh November 13, 2009 at 7:53 am
  • John, learning by doing is indeed the best kind of learning.

    Jamie Flinchbaugh November 13, 2009 at 7:53 am
  • John, learning by doing is indeed the best kind of learning.

    Jamie Flinchbaugh November 13, 2009 at 7:53 am