Special Q&A with Bill Waddell

I recently had the pleasure of doing a special Q&A session for the APICS Chapter with the one and only Bill Waddell, about continuous improvement and the challenges that lie with it.

Below, an excerpt:

Humans constantly resist change. How can I even deal with this?

I don't agree with the premise.  People change all the time – willingly.  What we resist is change we don't understand, or change that threatens us.  I think that puts the matter back on us – the lean leaders.  We have to a better job of explaining the change we ask people to make.  Our message can't be "trust us – it works for Toyota" and expect executives to radically transform entire organizations.  That would be irresponsible on their part.  When we can't answer all of the questions and making a compelling financial case for lean – when we ask people to take a leap of faith – it is our fault the people and companies won't change. 

Definitely great material.   A must read for all managers and change agents out there.