A lot happens in Kaizen events. Facilitators of the events must be aware of all of the
different facets as they guide a group of people through the process. Facilitators can be swept into the process and begin to forget about important
ingredients for success that lead to measurable outcomes. One of the key components that is easy to over look during an event is Team
Building.
Team Building is the ingredient that can make or break Kaizen events. It begins even
before the event begins. Then during the events, it is the engine that runs the creativity that leads towards successful ideas, communication and
implementation. After the event itself is over, it is the catalyst that helps transform an organization and promotes follow through and continuous
improvement.
Think about the situation for the facilitator, a small group of people is selected -some of
whom may not have ever even met (including the facilitator). They are put together and expected to come up with a solution to a problem and implement
as much as possible within five days. Then, to top it off, these same five people are required to continue to work together with a small action item
list to complete the solution and even further improve it all while promoting its benefits to other people who were not even part of the
team.
How can a facilitator accomplish this along with directing the group of people through the
process? The answer is formal Team Building concepts and tools. The most important concept that is used is that teams go through several phases that
lead to sustainability. These phases are called forming, storming, norming and performing. In Kaizen events, the
facilitator must foster the team through these phases in a paced manner. The following is a guide for facilitators to use based upon a consecutive
five day Kaizen event.
Day One-Forming Phase:
Day one is considered the forming day
and should be very structured. Team members are brought face to face (some of them for the first time). Ask everyone to introduce themselves, tell
the team their position, how long they are doing whatever they are doing and something interesting about themselves. Then use SPACER. It stands for
Scope, Purpose, Agenda, Communication, Expectations and Roles. After that, do some more structured activities such as training, simulations or direct
discussions. This gives the team an opportunity to know one another in a controlled atmosphere. By the end of the day, begin some more unstructured
activities such as walking the value stream and debriefing about observations. This fosters the team into the storming phase.
Day Two-Storming Phase:
The storming phase is well named. Usually this occurs on day two. However, do not
rush the team past this phase. If you do, the team will back slide later into this phase again. Since on day 2 the team usually talks about the
current state, this will also bring out all of the frustration with the process. Team members who are part of the broken process will be defensive.
Internal customers of the process will attack others. Some team members will give their own predetermined solutions to the problem and go off on
tangents. The most important part for a facilitator is to let everyone have “their fair share” in a constructive manner of the dishing
out and the taking it. Keep the more vocal members restrained and the quiet members vocal. And oh yes, the facilitator must keep on track with the
time table of having the current state defined and quantified for the report out by the end of the day. It is challenging, but very
doable.
Day Three-Norming Phase:
Day three is the norming phase. By this time, team members should be worn out from
the previous day. Whatever energy they have recouped by the previous night’s sleep should be directed at finding solutions. Start the day by
emphasizing the possibilities of the future state. All the reasons for the frustration they are empowered to determine how to eliminate. The team
should be far enough in development to be able to break off into small self directed work groups. As a facilitator, it is imperative to give well
defined time lines for reporting out to the larger team as they determine the future state improvements. By the end of the day, the team should be
able to do most of the Future State report out to senior management with direction from the facilitator using a structured format. It is key to let
the team leader be the master of ceremony for the report out. This will informally establish their authority.
Day Four-Performing Phase:
Day four is the performing
phase. The team should be able to work in sub-teams largely undirected. Just get them to be back at specific times to report on progress as they are
preparing for the implementation. A facilitator should take note of the sub-groups who are having difficulty. The facilitator should go with the
struggling sub-groups and foster their success. Mid-way through the day it is good to switch some team members around. This prevents the sub-groups
from becoming sub-clicks of people instead of team members. It also encourages the switched team members to make sure the designed future state will
flow seamlessly. By early to late afternoon of day four, the teams should be ready for trial runs of the future state. If time allows, have the team
do a trial of the future state. This is where they actually “perform”.
Day Five-Performing Phase Continues:
On day five the performing phase continues with final trials and report outs. The
team should be enthusiastic and able to develop their presentation material with quantified outcomes for the final report with assistance from the
facilitator. Prior to the final report out, go over the roles of the team members going forward; their action items with timing and responsibilities;
immediate expectations; and the expectations that they are to continue to perform as a team even after the event itself is over. Make sure the team
leader is aware of their responsibility to keep the team moving.
The next time you are facilitating Kaizen events, keep these key points in mind.
The success of the event reflects directly on the success of the team building effort. As they say, there is no “I” in team. As a
facilitator, try to keep it that way.
