It was a department with poor quality, and customers kept getting angry.
At that rate, we were about to lose the trust of our customers.
On the contrary, I was worried that all the parties had lost their confidence.
The first thing I told you was from the blog post below.
In the 2021/9/10 blog post "The moment when all the vectors match", I introduced you to an example of vector alignment in an organization.
Next, I introduced the report that the activity got on track in the following blog article.
2022/4/17 Blog article "Vector matching and subsequent development."
The activity started from the session on 21/7/15, so it reached the current level in less than a year.
In response to the director's passion, this activity has been developed with the participation of all members.
On July 15, 2021, the director said, "We can't stay like this. We will work together to improve quality!"
So he expressed his strong will in front of the people concerned.
The person concerned who heard it reflected on the situation so far and agreed with the director's policy.
The person there strongly sympathized with the director, saying, "You can't stay like this!"
When I was there, I heard a voice from the participants' hearts saying, "You can't stay like this!"
It was the moment when everyone's vector was there.
It was a moment when collective efficacy was at its peak.
Then, concretely, "standardization" activities started.
I don't know how much you can understand the "standardization" activity, but it is an ongoing activity.
The leader is the section chief.
However, the section chief alone cannot do anything.
First, I carefully discussed the director's policy with the section chief and decided what to do.
The chief also had a strong awareness of the problem, so I followed the section chief.
When I took action, the chief of staff, who had long experience in the field, was reliable.
He wanted to do something about himself but couldn't take the right action.
Once I had decided what to do, I went forward like a fish that got water.
All you have to do is create a "work standard" system. After that, there is nothing else to do.
I decided to make a "work standard", but the significance of the "work standard" was not in everyone's stomach.
Therefore, we decided to gather the workers to discuss the "work standard".
In the first discussion
"I have never used a work standard."
"I'm doing it my way, but what's wrong with that?"
"Just check the checklist rather than the work standard, and you'll do your best."
I just wrote down the negative opinions.
It was counterproductive.
Some mistakes are inherent.
It is also a failure from the attitude of earnestly grasping everyone's opinions, so if you discuss it carefully again, everyone should understand it.
Even if there are opposing opinions, like in a vector-aligned session,
We will proceed to that discussion if one or two positive ideas emerge.
At first, it turned out to be an unwilling meeting, but once again, the leader himself really understands the significance of the "work standard" and explains it first.
I understand well to the section chief, chief, and group leader.
I first explained the leader's opinion, changed how to listen to everyone's opinion, and re-challenged them.
This meeting aims to bring out the same awareness of the problem, regardless of the shade.
The last discussion ended with everyone colliding with ideas from the past to the present.
But this time, it's different. Everyone's opinions have changed.
Everyone has become future-oriented.
I started to notice the problem with the way I used to be.
I noticed that everyone was doing it on their own.
Of course, not everyone was trying to make a defect, but it wasn't a way to stabilize the quality.
The enthusiasm of the leader was also firmly conveyed.
After that, the leaders and staff revised the "Working Standards", and they heard everyone's opinions every time they made a revised version.
They completed the "work standard" for one model by repeating this.
I tried it, and if I found a problem, I refined it further.
The first edition completed this way became a "work standard book" created by everyone.
It is essential that this "work standard" is created by everyone.
If the leader makes it, gives it to the worker, and says, "do it this way", few people will do it this way.
This time, the "work standard" created by everyone is filled with the thoughts of each worker who proposed the amendment.
Next, I tested the comprehension of the completed "work standard".
Unlike school entrance exams, it's not a test to screen out but a test to clarify what you understand and didn't understand and for everyone to understand until you fully understand it.
I explained this point to everyone in advance.
Then, when the items I did not understand became apparent, the section chief and the group leader explained them again.
All the workers understood the contents of the "Work Standards".
Even after I noticed a small problem, the worker created a correction proposal.
Based on that, we kaizen the "work standard" and further refined it.
It is continuous kaizen. It became the worker's habit.
When the "work standard" is completed, incorporating new KAIZEN and continuously revising it means that PDCA will continue to rotate.
If you go this far, you will have confidence in everyone involved.
From the worker's point of view,
At first, I was wondering what would start, but I realized that the procedure of the work I was doing and the method of operation was easy to make a mistake.
If you do it fixedly, you can work with peace of mind because no problems will occur.
Even in the comprehension test, I found out that I lacked understanding and was asked to explain it repeatedly, so I was confident that I could understand all the "work standard documents".
The fact that the chief of staff and the group leader have come seriously is reflected in the results.
They trained independent workers in this activity.
Unlike in the past, we can now take on new challenges to improve our products.
They are at the forefront of manufacturing.
In this division, manufacturing has learned the original way of working = the royal road.
Through this activity, leaders have learned authentic leadership.
We clarified the issues in the workplace, shared them with everyone, and solved them one by one.
It wasn't a one-person sumo wrestling. We have stepped up all the people involved.
The leader is a graduate.
He has new challenges awaiting him.
Even if the quality problems of the outsourced manufacturer are kaizen, it is only necessary to make the outsourced manufacturer understand the path that the manufacturing department has taken this time and create a world without quality problems in the same way.
The quality assurance department is also looking at best practices up close, so we need to expand them horizontally.
In this way, when strong manufacturing sits down, the organizational strength of the company will improve.
"My work cannot be standardized!" "It's not a simple job to do different things once and for all!"
I don't think anyone who has read this far has such an idea anymore.
To be sure.
Indeed, there will be such a job.
But are there any mistakes or waste in your work?
Kaizen is a serious pursuit of how to do it well.
Let's do kaizen and enjoy the sense of accomplishment!
Kaizen is fun!