Everything we do is not functional

Apply the appropriate tools simultaneously for accelerated process improvement.

Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic

The most obvious interpretation of this idea might be limited by our previous thinking. Of course, we can utilize multiple tools at the same time. We do it all the time. It takes a bit of planning and forward thinking when multiple tools are implemented together. The greatest potential failure lies not in which tools to utilize, but in which process area you are targeting. Everything we do is not functional.

One of the sources of lean initiative failures results from this blind spot. Most consultants I meet are very tactically focused. This makes perfect sense when we examine the certification statistics, even within the Lean Certification Alliance. Most are bronze certified. A dramatic drop off takes place between the bronze and silver levels, and even more dramatic between bronze and gold. The focus between functional and relational processes shifts as we move from tactical to integrative to strategic.

Tactical practitioners are trained to focus on function processes – in my language the functional processes are the work we do. When integrative thinking is added, we begin to see more of the relational processes – in my language the relational processes are how we work together. At the strategic level the relational processes take on even greater significance. The further from the line processes one moves, the more one engages in relational processes.

Everything we do is not functional

There are tools in both the functional and relational toolboxes. If you are not trained in the relational tools, you cannot utilize the relational tools. This brings a whole new level of consideration to concept 45.