Embracing Lean for Transforming the Company Culture

Lean can best be defined as a ‘long-term philosophy of growth by generating value for the customer, society, and the economy with the objectives of reducing costs, improving delivery times and improving quality through the total elimination of waste.’

It is important to note that Lean is heavily based on the principle that continuous improvement can be found through the power of respect for people.

‘The culture on the company is crucial in designing the business system that motivates people to want to improve, teaching them the tools of improvement and motivates them to apply those tools every day.’

Lean therefore, must go beyond just the manufacturing process and business strategy – it needs to involve all employees, at all levels and not just the decision-makers in order to be successful. While the concept is simple and inexpensive, it needs commitment and determination to work. It is estimated that 50% of change programmes like Lean fail to deliver or be sustained.

When considering lean methodologies, the pharmaceutical industry must think strategically about why the business needs to change, what the current condition is, what results the business wants to achieve with metrics, and involve their staff at every step of the way.

Business leaders must make it their role to define and explain what these goals are, share the path to achieving them, motivate people to take the journey with them, and assist them in removing obstacles.

Leaders must embrace Lean with the objective of transforming the culture of the company to avoid the risk of implementing Lean and being disappointed by the results after the initial honeymoon has ended.

Changing the culture of a company needs to be constantly reiterated like a counsel with a strong focus on creating a lean leadership style that enables all members of the organization to make improvements every day. Employees are the enablers who will improve processes and deliver on bold targets. 

The Leaders have no more important role than to motivate and engage all employees to work together toward achieving these bold goals and revolutionize the culture of the company. Once achieved, the true value of Lean will be revealed. 

(Abstract from the source: “Lean Management of the Pharmaceutical Sector Brings Increased Efficiency and Improved Quality while Increasing Profits” | © Simpler Consulting LP. 2010 – www.simpler.com)