Hi everyone, Glad to have you here on my blog! It’s been a whirlwind start to my 2019 — how about yours? Today I heard from the client I visited just about two months ago in the south of Spain. They got a writeup in their local online journal, celebrating and recognizing their business improvement efforts — some of which I supported them to do!
It’s so rewarding to see the positive impact to the business that result from their hard work. We ran three simultaneous Kaizen events (and if that sounds like a lot of work, it is!) which produced four project ideas and lot of great insight on how to proceed in capturing the value.
I am so proud of these teams and all the success they have achieved so far, and can’t wait to see how their projects go in the weeks and months ahead. As a former leader of these projects myself, I know how exciting it is to see the KPIs shift and the savings roll in. This time, as a consultant and facilitator, my role is to challenge mindsets, expose new ways of thinking, and provide them with a clear vision and lots of encouragement to do things differently and better. This is powerful stuff.
The authors were kind enough to quote me in the article. Check out the original Spanish version here or a translated transcript of my questions here.
https://huelvabuenasnoticias.com/2019/03/15/matsa-apuesta-por-la-mejora-continua-de-sus-servicios-a-traves-del-programa-avanza2/
Erika L. Gracía:
"Change is not a threat, but something positive that can be very useful
both professionally and personally"
What has been your function in MATSA within Avanza2?
"My role has been to train workers and support them at all times so that
they could understand, analyze and solve the problems that can be
addressed in the company, as well as learn to communicate them.
- How was the previous situation in MATSA?
"Initially, people were a bit shy when it came to interacting, but as the
process progressed, interest was aroused. So much so that we have managed
to create four groups that have worked very intensively for four days. The
concept of continuous improvement is relatively new in MATSA and although
there are few people who have experienced before with the tools that we
have carried out in this training, the workers of the company are
beginning to open their minds. This process is not easy initially, but it
is very comforting to see how they strive to change."
- Is this change of mentality the main objective of Avanza2?
"Yes, on the one hand there is the change of mentality and on the other the
concrete measures of continuous improvement that can be implemented. But
they are two issues that are interconnected, since when looking for
solutions to a problem, the possibilities will be greatly reduced if their
minds are not open. For this, the important thing is that they understand
that change is not a threat, but something positive that can be very
useful both professionally and personally. Something very important in
this process is that the philosophy of the company is also open, providing
a climate in which employees have confidence to try new ways of doing
their job, always with security and looking for a better performance."
- What are the conclusions in this first phase of Avanza2?
"The initial part has been a success, since the workers have understood
very well the new concepts and tools and have known how to put them into
practice. The fact that they themselves have proposed their own
improvement projects has had an impact on their motivation when presenting
them to the company."
- What will be the next steps?
"Four very interesting projects have been launched, on which a follow-up
process must now begin. To be successful in this new phase, you will have
to continue with this open mentality, looking little by little for the
opportunities that can be implemented. It's a long process, but I'm sure
that if they continue working as they do now, they will."