Research Paper

Lean Manufacturing and its

Application in Coaching

Hemanth Achaya
March 20th 2014-03-20 14
hemanthachaya@gmail.com
10 pages, 3156 Words

Research Paper
Insights on Lean Manufacturing and its possible application in Coaching

Preamble and Objective:

Most innovations and new developments nowadays occur by taking two seemingly
disparate branches of knowledge and studying where their respective borders
overlap - or in applying original work done in one area and applying it to the other.
For instance, Cancer cures now are found by the intersection of medicine with
Computer Technology which has created advances in Genomics. Similarly, future
computer systems are expected to mimic the human brain and work at the
intersection of Neurology and Computer science.
Having worked for several years in a manufacturing organization, I was exposed to
various aspects of Lean Manufacturing. The objective of my preliminary research
paper is to look at the intersection of Lean Manufacturing and Coaching and examine
if there is scope for further study in this field that could lead to new approaches and
practices. It is possible that such approaches may be better accepted by Clients who
are familiar with these techniques as used in a manufacturing perspective.
Background:
What is Lean Manufacturing?
Lean Manufacturing was developed on the foundation of the Toyota Production
System, which was developed by the Toyota Motor Company of Japan in the 50s and
the 60s, and whose principal architect was Taiichi Ohno.

Figure 1 - The 4 P Model of the Toyota Way Jeffrey Liker

As can be seen from figure 1, some fundamental pillars of this system are Long Term
Thinking even at the expense of short term goals, Respect for People and Partners,
Continuous improvement and Learning, Use of a harmonious Pull system to prevent
overload, and use of simple visual systems as support structures to highlight if things
go out of control.
What has lean manufacturing achieved for its practitioners?
Toyotas annual profits in 2003 were more than the profits of GM, Ford and
Chrysler Combined
More than half of Toyotas used cars are singled out as recommended for
purchase as compared to 10 % of the Fords, 5 % of the GMs and none of the
Chryslers.
Toyota is consistently the winner of the JD Powers Initial Quality and long
term durability awards, followed by Porsche, BMW and Honda.
Toyota is benchmarked by all of its peers and competitors throughout the
world for high quality, high productivity, manufacturing speed, and flexibility.
These are impressive achievements by any stretch, especially so in the cut-throat
global automotive sector. Toyota repeatedly claims that these would be impossible
without the organization-wide culture that the Toyota Lean Manufacturing System
has created.
We see that Lean Techniques enable dramatic improvements in efficiencies. Are
there any lessons out there for us that we could use? And what of these could be
applied to our lives?
The basic tenets of Lean Manufacturing are:
1. A focus on waste of either material or time and techniques to eliminate it.
2. A focus on improving value adding activities and elimination or reduction OF
non-value adding activities.
3. A focus on the long term, transformative and permanent, as opposed to the
short term, transactional and reversible.
4. Having a focus on people, and on the entire supply chain.
5. Use the genius of the workers on the shop floor to create continuous and
transformative improvement.
6. Have simple and effective warning signals to alert impending problems.
7. Creating continuous and small improvements steps.
8. Using Problem solving techniques to arrive at the root cause rather than dealing
with superficial issues.
9. A focus on Harmony, where all these tools are interconnected so that there is
neither overproduction nor underproduction.

When we look at Coaching, we find that some of the key competencies are:
1. Use the genius of the Client to arrive at what is the best solution for the particular
context.
2. Powerful Questioning Ability to ask questions that reveal the information needed
for maximum benefit to the Client
3. Focus on Clients to help them produce fulfilling results in their professional and
personal lives
4. Provide support to enhance the skills creativity and resources that the client
already has.
5. Ensure that the solution comes from within, which is the best way to ensure
permanence.
6. Co-create a plan for achieving what the client really wants.
7. Be a sounding board for new ideas and support in making life changing decisions
8. Challenge and expand the Clients views beyond their perceived limitations.
9. Co-create and facilitate in execution of plans that are transformative and
permanent.
10. Co-create and facilitate in execution of plans that are in harmony with all
stakeholders and are attainable and measurable.
11. A focus on the long term, transformative and permanent, as opposed to the short
term, transactional and reversible.
We see that several objectives in the two processes are similar. However, one is
focussed on the organization and the other on the individual. Are there similarities
between the two? If so, what are they, and can the techniques used on one be
applied on the other?
Fundamentally, can these techniques be applied to human beings? It may be argued
that human beings are not robots and cannot be programmed to operate like
machines or factories. Let us now look at possible similarities between a Human and
a Factory:
Facet
Humans
Factories/Organizations
Thinking
and Brain, Heart
Leadership
decision making
Basic Raw material Food
Inventory
Primary unit
A cell
A Production Cell or a Quality
Circle
Assets
Talents,
Creativity, IP, R&D, Market Share, Brand
Intelligence, personal assets Value, Manufacturing Assets
Output
Personal and professional Products and services
Goals

Primary Goals
Secondary Goals

Survival, Good Health

Wealth, Recognition

Key drivers
Key stakeholders

Personal Values
Employers, Family, Friends

Sensory faculties

The five senses

Signs of poor Inability to meet personal

performance
and professional goals, time
wasting, misdirected efforts,
ill health,
Sign
of
good Good
Health,
positive
performance
attitude, ease in meeting
goals
Table 1

Survival, Profits
Market
Domination,
Recognition
Organization Culture
Customers,
Suppliers,
Shareholders, Employees
Listening posts for Customers,
suppliers
and
other
stakeholders
Poor
Organization,
Low
efficiencies, High costs, low
market shares, Low Profits/High
Losses
Well Planned Layout
and
organization, high profits and
market share, happy customers

It can be seen from Table 1 that while there are differences in details between
Organizations and Individuals, the context in many cases is the same. With this
insight, an attempt is now made to apply some Lean Manufacturing Techniques at an
Individual level.
Some Lean Techniques that could be applied to Self Improvement or Coaching
1. The 5 Whats for arriving at the root cause
In Lean Management, one of the techniques to get to the root cause of a problem is
the 5 Whys system. Here, one asks why 5 times and is able to arrive at the root
cause. For example, if the problem is that a part is not as per specification, the
questioning could be:
1. Why is the part not as per spec?
Because the length is greater than what is required.
2. Why is the length greater?
Because the Machine that cuts it to size is not calibrated correctly.
3. Why is the machine not calibrated correctly?
Because the operator who calibrates it does not know the correct procedure.
4. Why does the operator not know the correct procedure?
Because the training program for the operator is conducted only once a year.
5. Why is the training program conducted only once a year?
Because the trainer is on contract and is hired to conduct the program only in
September.

By this process, one is able to dive deep into the problem and determine that the
root cause has nothing to do with the product or the machine, but in the training
policy and system. The problem could be solved by ensuring that no person will
calibrate the machine without proper training, and also to make the training process
more frequent so that more operators can be trained in the process.
In Coaching, one cannot ask why as we are dealing with sensitive individuals and
not machines or processes. Here, a 5 What system could provide a laser technique
to arrive at a root-cause analysis. For example, if the issue is that a person has a
problem with completing assignments on time, the questions could be:
1. What are the reasons that assignments are not able to be done on schedule?
Because I am uncomfortable with writing reports
2. What makes you uncomfortable with writing reports?
I have a problem in sitting in front of a computer for more than 15 minutes
3. What makes you uncomfortable in sitting in front of a computer for long?
My eyes start watering and feel heavy.
4. What have you done to prevent this?
I was advised to wear glasses but stopped wearing glasses after a week
5. What has made you stop wearing glasses after a week?
My friend made fun of my looks and I felt uncomfortable wearing them in the
office.
As can be seen, the root cause has nothing to do with a technical or professional
problem and turns out to be one that dealt with self worth and identity. Facilitating
the client to deal with the underlying issues could not just resolve the transactional
problem of completing reports on time, but could provide a lasting resolution to the
clients self worth and confidence.
2. Kanban and Personal Kanban
Kanban is a visual process developed by Taiichi Ohno of Toyota to ensure that
everyone on the shopfloor is aware of the requirement for the day and produces
only as much product at their workstations as is required by the customer. Any over
or under production is immediately visually communicated to all the other
workstations so that corrective action can be immediately undertaken. The process
helps to ensure:
1. Only that much work is undertaken as is possible for the factory to achieve
without creating disharmony. This borrows from the Toyota Pull system
(discussed later) that advocates that the Factory works only as much as is
required by the customer and to never overproduce and create buffer stocks.
2. Any deviation from the plan is immediately made known to all people
responsible for the process so that corrective action can be immediately taken.
This is done by simple visual or auditory alarms or indicators.

Several experts in the field have already applied this technique at the individual level,
to help in mapping work to be done, and to take up only those jobs that can be done
without a system overload, and has a simple but effective way to track and monitor
the To Do list.
Please check out Personal Kanban Mapping Life, Navigating Work by Jim Benson
or read his excellent presentation at
http://www.slideshare.net/ourfounder/personal-kanban-101
3. Kaizen or Continuous Improvement
The typical Kaizen or Continuous Improvement System in Lean Management
consists of the following steps:
a) The workplace is divided into small teams of workers involved with one activity.
These cells are called Quality circles
b) The Workers meet each week and list out:
i. a brief review of the previous weeks work
ii. what worked and what didnt, with respect to the cells goals,
which in turn are aligned to the organizations goals
iii. suggestions for improvements
iv. a brief note to senior management with a justification for any
investment required to effect improvements in the system.
c) Workers have the power to effect these changes within their quality Circle.
d) Senior Management does a review of all the reports from Quality Circles and
approves investments/any major changes that affect several departments.
d) This process is repeated every week. The cumulative change by this process is so
dramatic over a longer term that many work processes are so improved as to be
practically unrecognizable.
The Underlying philosophy in this is that the worker is the best judge on what
works best at the shop floor, not a senior executive sitting at some place far away
from the scene of action.
The Personal Kaizen System:
A Coaching equivalent of Kaizen, or Personal Kaizen, could work as explained below:
a) The Client makes a list of all the critical actions required to be undertaken. This
could be done by several conventional methods, such as the Wheel of Life, or 65
and Back.
b) This then is cascaded into annual, monthly and weekly plans.
c) Every week, the Client does a review of all actions as per b) in the previous
section. Of course, the Senior Management would be the Client, with possibly a
Coach for support.

d) Any decisions that require cooperation/approval of the stakeholders

Family/Friends/Work associates would need to be negotiated at regular
intervals.
The process continues week after week with perhaps a quarterly review of what
worked and what did not. Any corrective action based on the review could be
taken at this point.
4. Improving processes by Value Stream Analysis
An Important Lean Management tool is Value stream analysis. In this, all important
tasks are broken up into value adding and non-value adding tasks. These are then
analysed and changes made in the process. The process could be changed by
changing equipment, changing layouts, modifying sub-processes, and reducing or
completely eliminating tasks that are non-value adding.
In manufacturing organizations, it has been observed that this initiative once again
provides dramatic improvements - Major reduction in cycle time (sometimes more
than 90%), or process stock levels (greater than 50%) are not unusual.
Can something similar be done in personal improvement?
Here is a case:
Key task Obtain Coaching certification in 4 months.
This key task could be broken down as:
a. Listing all the work to be done in the period - This would include ALL work
done during a waking day of approximately 16 hours, such as meals,
personal work, entertainment, and other work along with the
Certification work.
b. The time spent for each task in a day is then determined. An analysis is
made of the value addition for each task. This would be an important
decision exercise and sufficient support systems would need to be put in
place to facilitate the Client to make such a transition.
c. For instance, a typical schedule for a particular week could look like:
Sl Task
Initial
Value Adding Revised plan
No
Hours
(H/M/L)
spent
1
Attend Tele-classes
6
H
10
2
Post on Forum
8
H
10
3
Research for Review Paper
4
H
5
5
Non Coaching Consultancy Work 20
H
20
6
Scrabble Competition
10
L
0
7
Dinner Engagement
4
H
4
8
Relaxation TV
6
M
3
9
Relaxation Reading
4
M
3

10

Miscellaneous Meals, personal 30

work etc
Total
92
Total Available waking hours (16 80
x 5)

25
80

d. Once this is prepared, sufficient support systems must be offered to

the Client to assist in the transition to a modified lifestyle.
It is quite possible that this exercise could be an eye-opener for the Client in helping
him realise where time is being spent on non-value adding activities. If the Client is
able to genuinely discover this for himself, it should energise the Client to address
and complete the high priority value adding activities with higher energy levels and
with no undue effort.
5. The Personal Pull System
Oftentimes, we come across people who seem to lead charmed lives. They are able
to accomplish all their tasks with consummate ease, and have time to manage their
lives and do several things simultaneously. They have equanimity in whatever they
do, and do not seem to be tense or rushed. Could it be that they have consciously or
unconsciously mapped out their key stakeholders and are in harmony with what
each stakeholder expects? And their equanimity (and success) comes from the fact
that they are aware of their capabilities and have tailored their deliverables to meet
the expectations of their stakeholders in a harmonious way?
Such a system at a Corporate Level is fundamental to the Toyota system of
Management the requirements of the key stakeholders Customers, Employees,
Suppliers and Shareholders are assessed carefully and listed out.

Figure 2 The Toyota Model

The workflow is planned in such a manner that there is no undue strain on the
Company in addressing the demands of each stakeholder. There is no over or underestimation of needs and all subsequent actions are harmonised towards a smooth
flow (Figure 2).

On the other hand, conventional organizations overestimate customer demand and

build large finished goods stocks. Similarly, they underestimate supplier capabilities
and build large inventories. This leads to a large amount of time and effort invested
wastefully.
The Pull system perfected by Toyota ensures that the entire system hums along, with
the pull from the customer defining all back-end action.
Can a similar harmony be created by fashioning a Pull System for the Individual?
A typical individual is suppressed to various pulls and pressures from stakeholders
Work, Family, Friends and Personal Goals. When there is an imbalance in the
estimation of needs of each stakeholder, the Self gets distorted as seen in Figure 3.

Figure 3 The Distorted Self

What could be done to re-establish harmony?

a) A careful reassessment of ones capabilities is the starting point.
b) A reassessment of the expectations of key stakeholders is the next step.
c) Creating a smooth pull system that ensures that there are no undue pulls and
pressures comes next.
d) At this point, it is possible that there could still be an imbalance in expectations
from some of the stakeholders.
e) If so, an action plan using some of the tools and techniques listed above could
help in working towards the balance.
If the exercise is properly executed, the harmonious self as shown in Figure 4 can be
regained.
So what could be possible steps in creating the Personal Pull system?
a)
Establish where the priorities at that moment in life are: Toyota clearly
creates a Pull system around Customer requirements, and all other actions feed into
that. In the case of a Personal Pull system, the priorities may vary depending on the
individual and also on the individuals priorities in life at that moment.

b)
Create a set of actions that ensure that no stakeholder demand is neglected
or over emphasised.
c)
Manage and monitor the set of actions, using the techniques described
above, or other appropriate processes.

Figure 4 The Harmonious Self

d) Create a Personal Kaizen to improve the Flow and provide better service to the
stakeholders.
Conclusion:
There is no doubt that several techniques in Lean Management can indeed be applied
for personal growth and productivity. Some techniques, like Personal Kanban, have
already been honed into organized systems for self improvement.
The other techniques described in the paper could indeed be used and perfected for
organized application. As my research did not find any systematic study in this field,
except for Personal Kanban, the approaches suggested by me are fundamentally
preliminary and would require further research for fine tuning and applicability.
If the approaches could be perfected, it is very possible that these techniques could
open a new Client Segment those who have been previously seen the efficacy of these
techniques in manufacturing and would readily identify with them for application: as
also other Clients who may not have been exposed to this system, but are drawn
towards the holistic, harmonious and systematic philosophy on which the Toyota System
of Lean Manufacturing is based.

Bibliography:
1. Lean Thinking James P Womack and Daniel T Jones
2. The Toyota Way Jeffrey K Liker
3. Personal Kanban Jim Benson