This section of the Mission-Directed Work-Teams^TM program addresses the foundation elements for successful implementation of any continuous improvement initiative, lean program or worker engagement culture. The key components are the confirmation and sharing of vision, mission and values of the organization in line with Toyota’s “True North” model. From these flow the company’s high level strategy and shorter term goals. The module assists the company to convert these high level goals into effective goals at every level to assure alignment, improvement and engagement.

The goal alignment exercise is supported by structures that yield effective meetings, maximize communication throughout the organization and visually track performance at all times.

Improvements are targeted under the categories of Quality, Speed, Cost, Safety and People. Innovation by all team members supports these initiatives and a typical client should be able to generate at least one improvement per employee per month.

World-Class companies achieve that status thanks to world class leadership. The Mission-Directed Work-Teams^TM model introduces many of the key elements required for leaders at all levels to understand and implement the practices required to create a Purpose-driven organization. The principles are simplified to ensure that everybody can understand the philosophy. Leadership elements covered include inter alia influencing styles, motivation and empowerment, conflict handling and decision-making.

Other topics included are performance management, Gemba walks, standardized work and a major focus on coaching practices to support improvement activities.

These leadership tools are life skills applicable at work and also in one’s private life. CDI has been advised on numerous occasions that the skills have proved to be so practical that clients have told us that the course should be provided to all school leavers as they embark on life!

The primary focus of Mission-Directed Work-Teams^TM is taking world best practices to the front line. These practices must be “owned” by the staff in the work area, and cannot be simply the preserve of continuous improvement managers or industrial engineers. This is critical for sustainable excellent implementation. Guest consultancies, that apply their own skills to a process, and then leave everything to the client to sustain, cannot be successful. This is of particular significance in the successful application of lean tools.

All the key tools are included in the program – 5S, Workflow (including kanban), Theory of Constraints, Waste Elimination, SMED, Asset Care and the principles of Quality Assurance. In each case the ownership of the initiative is given to the staff, who actually perform the value-added tasks, in the office, warehouse, factory or mine.

It is important that all tools are not introduced at the same time; the rate of introduction of the lean and other tools is informed by client requirements to ensure that all initiatives can be effectively applied and embedded.