This December 2016 article reports on VIBCO, a manufacturing company in Rhode Island, and its success living the Respect for People and Continuous Improvement principles. It doesn’t refer to the principles by name, but clearly they are in play. Some highlights…

• Machine operator Roland Smith had the freedom to redesign the manufacture of an equipment housing, reducing production time from 24 hours to three minutes.
• Assembler Susan Heater reduced switchbox assembly from one hour to twenty minutes.
• A caustic and needed quote from CEO Karl Wadensten about company leaders that relocate manufacturing operations. “They shortchange the future of their communities for short-term dollars. It’s almost like they throw up their hands because they’re not creative enough to compete.”

Clearly creativity cannot be limited to the executive leadership of an enterprise – it’s the responsibility of everyone in a Lean enterprise. It’s leadership’s responsibility to encourage this creativity, and that requires a far different mindset than in use in traditionally managed enterprises.