Integrating the Baldrige model means altering your management system. It means doing things differently than you’ve done them in the past. In the best cases, it is a transformative process that delivers short-term success and longer-term sustainability.

To get to that point, leaders need to manage the change. They need to help managers, supervisors, and employees understand why the change is necessary, how it will benefit them as well as the organization, how it will change what they do, and what will be expected of them. It requires profound knowledge of what people need to embrace the change and education and communication to make that happen.

In “Why Call It ‘Lean Manufacturing’?,” consultant Rick Bohan addresses this issue as it relates to the implementation of lean. His insights are equally relevant to Baldrige. As Bohan notes, “culture change always meets resistance, even under the most ideal circumstances.” A good part of that resistance can be overcome by effective communication, and that means understanding what your people hear when you describe your change initiative. Bohan describes the impact of introducing lean to managers and operators:

“When we speak of reduced costs, they hear, ‘Get rid of people.’ When we talk about increased efficiencies, they hear, ‘Work harder and faster.’ When we speak of the benefits of doing more with less, they hear, ‘Make more and better product but don’t expect anything from the company to help you.’ When we lecture about the need to reduce waste, they hear, ‘You folks are doing your jobs in a wasteful manner.’ If we’re honest, none of their translations are inconsistent with the very name of the initiative. And we wonder why they don’t jump on board after a two-hour introductory class.”

An organization must manage change to effectively integrate the Baldrige model. People resist change even if it is in their best interests, and they really resist it if they think it will make their jobs harder or, worst of all, cause them to lose their jobs.

What would cause people to embrace the changes that result from integrating Baldrige? They need to understand that the better the organization performs, the easier their jobs will get. Bohan’s description of the benefits of lean could be said of Baldrige: “Lean manufacturing is an approach for reducing the frustrations they routinely experience as they move material, information, and product through the plant. Lean is working when they are less frustrated, when they go home at the end of the day with a smile and a spring in their step rather than wrung out from physical and emotional exhaustion. Lean is working when the work goes smoothly, easily, and safely.”

Who wouldn’t want that?

To read more about change management, click on these articles:

• What Differentiates Baldrige Award Winners (Part 1…Part 2…Part 3)
• Leadership Matters Most
• The Organization You Want
• Learning from the Ritz
• Shrink the Change
• Making Change Happen

(6 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

 Loading ...