Everyone who studies Lean knows that the customer defines Value, at least they should know that. As for how many actually involve the customer? Well that depends. In a recent on-line survey that we conducted 100% of respondents reported that they directly involve their customers in Kaizen events "always" or "most of the time." Yet in a subsequent on-line poll asking how people involve their customers (surveys, interviews, etc.) only a tenth the number of people responded. That leads us to believe our suspicion that most do not involve the customer.
Well for those of you who do we salute you. Keep up the good work. For those of you who do not the good news is you are not alone. In fact you are part of the vast majority. And for those of you feeling special let me emphasize that "reading your customer's minds" is not the same as involving your customers; far from it.
So why involve the customers at all? Why not just get an enthusiastic group of employees together, assign them to an important area within your organization, give them some tips on how to conduct a Kaizen, or better yet hire an expert to facilitate the exercise, and go to it? Why bother with customers at all? I mean really what do customers know about what goes on in the depths of your organization anyway? And all they'd probably do is question most of the things you do and just kill everyone's buzz (yes I was born in the 60s).
Reason 1: Maximize your Return on Investment
Let's face it, making improvements requires time and energy from those involved. And both of those cost money which means you are making an investment. Mind you if done properly an improvement effort is highly enjoyable and satisfying for all involved. But all improvement events require a certain level of investment to be successful.
So if you are going to make the investment into an improvement exercise you owe it to yourself and those putting in the effort to ensure that what you fix will actually improve things. And who better to determine whether things are "better" than your customers. Sure it's important that staff feel loved and appreciated and comfortable and safe and all those good things. But if you are improving all those things yet doing nothing to add more Value to your customers then you are wasting your time, your energy and your money.
Reason 2: Reduce Resistance to Change
Let's also face it, everyone embraces change...for everyone but themselves. Not too many people in an organization will say to themselves "you know 99% of what I do day in and day out adds no Value to our customers." As human beings we have evolved amazing abilities to justify what we do well to others and ourselves. Because we are good at something it must add Value. Because we have always done something it must add Value. Because we enjoy doing something it must add Value. And so on.
So really the only way a group can truly tackle the Waste that is most of what they do is to have an objective 3rd party tell them that it's Waste in the first place. I have yet to find a Customer Help Desk that rallies behind the motto "Everything we do is Waste so let's eliminate everything!" Or a maintenance department that aggressively attacks every repair job and every preventive maintenance activity with the intent to eliminate everything. And so on throughout every organization. It is only in the cold bright light of the Voice of the Customer that we truly see the vast quantities of Waste that blanket most everything we touch.
So for those of you just starting out on your Lean journey, or those of you who are months or years into it and starting to get that uncomfortable feeling of "was it all worth it," I can't emphasize enough the importance of interacting directly with your customers, your clients, your patients, your .... well whoever it is who pays your bills. You will be amazed, crushed, astounded and eternally grateful that you did.
@leanmind
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