Work Processes to make you more human

I had a great conversation with a customer this week about processes at work. To be more productive, to be efficient and effective, I learned that they use processes like Lean Six Sigma, Genba, Fisbones, the 5 Why's, the 5 S's, Kaizen. They were using or introducing these models in the office environment rather than in a manufacturing shop-floor environment where you would often find them. They were there to enable their people to be more innovative, creative, to be problem solvers.

These and many more processes like them can all be useful tools to get us where we want to be, to get that result, to hit that goal, fix that problem. But they asked me a really interesting question. "How do we get our people to actually use them? I probed some more, and the answer became clear.

Solve the problem staring at you first

 They were showing them some great ideas to get to some ideal utopia, but these people had no available time and headspace to attempt to get there. They hadn't go full control on the multiple tasks on their plate right in front of them. Email inboxes piling up, scribbled post-it notes left here and there, back to back meetings, a million and one things spinning round there heads

 You are too busy to do any work

The introduction of the process models was not meeting their people where they are at right now. There was no headspace and available attention to look at things from a higher viewpoint. It's hard to see the vision and the goal (and a new route to get there) when you are stuck down the mine chipping away in the darkness.

So I said why don’t you create processes that help people free up room in their heads, so they can see above the "Actions" that they are working away at, so they are at least feeling on top of their existing projects. Comfortable in what they are doing, and more importantly, comfortable and relaxed with everything that they are NOT doing right now.

I then of course explained that there were ways to do this, one being through my small series of workshops.

 Want to explore my Productive Hero academy, to help you and your colleagues be more productive and less stressed. Take a look at www.jamiesquires.co.uk