Today, many businesses are experiencing difficulties in terms of their performance.

This is why they are questioning their organization and their management methods. Implementing a lean management approach then appears to be an excellent solution.

Lean management in fact makes it possible to improve the productivity and profitability of companies. It's actually about reducing waste and creating more value within the business.

All companies are now investing in digital technology and are thus integrating digital technology into their operating models.

Indeed, it is now vital to know how to constantly innovate in the face of ever stronger competition and customers that are ever more difficult to convince and retain.

These innovations and these new processes de facto involve the implementation of change management.

But how can we support all the company's stakeholders in these changes?

How to remove the obstacles for the smooth and efficient implementation of new processes?

Are managers sufficiently trained? Unless they have taken training for this, it is possible that the employees of a company are not sufficiently prepared for innovation management.

In this case, it is interesting to know that training courses for companies exist, as well as coaching provided by professionals.

Why do lean management?

Lean management is a method of managing and organizing work that optimizes performance while reducing costs and waste.

It was created with Toyota, which was the first company to use it. Customers are at the center of the lean management approach.

The company begins a process of continuous improvement, which will then be spread over time.

It is necessary to reorganize processes and involve employees in order to be able to achieve the objectives set.

Lean management offers several advantages for the company.

Benefits of lean management

First of all, lean management allows the company to improve the quality of its services and products.

Second, it helps to increase productivity by removing unnecessary procedures.

This method is also ideal for reducing costs and limiting waste.

The benefits do not end there, because lean management is an effective lever for improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

On the employee side, this method infuses a positive corporate culture.

It strengthens team spirit and facilitates collaborative exchanges. On the other hand, it encourages continuing education.

Finally, lean management helps employees to be more adaptable in the face of change.

What are the principles of lean management?

The main principles of lean management are based on the analysis and optimization of streams and procedures, as well as on the identification and reduction of waste.

Analysis and optimization of flows and procedures

Creating more value for customers with less waste is the philosophy of lean management.

To achieve this, it is essential to map flows in order to have a global vision of the various stages of the processes.

Identification and reduction of various wastes

In a company, waste can be reduced on various levels.

For example, you can reduce unnecessary trips and optimize loads for transport.

In particular, empty trips should be avoided. Reducing waste also means reducing unnecessary travel for company employees.

Delivery delays also have a cost and it is important to prevent them.

Other situations can lead to waste when the organization and processes are not efficient.

A poor valuation of production in particular has the effect of slowing down flows, obstructing stocks, and can represent a financial loss. Finally, mistakes are a waste of time and money.

Setting up a cash flow system

The cash flow system produces goods only when there is a request from a customer.

And for an efficient cash flow system, the company tracks its supply of raw materials according to requests.

Productions are shipped directly to customers and not stored.

Continuous improvement

The great strength of Lean Management is that it allows for a sustainable and profitable improvement of organizational processes.

When it is well used, that is to say by prioritizing the customer and the employee, it proves to be a powerful technique for maintaining the growth of a company.

Involvement of all employees

The involvement of a company's employees requires collective intelligence. Involving all employees is an essential step in the lean management method.

Without the involvement of employees, the method cannot be effective in the long term.

How to implement a lean management approach in business?

To apply lean management, you need to know the fundamental principles of the method.

• Placing the customer at the heart of the business
• Reduce waste by analyzing flows and processes to optimize them
• Work on a cash flow basis, i.e. reduce the time between the moment the customer places an order and the moment they pay, while reducing storage costs
• Involve all employees
• Adopt a continuous improvement approach to avoid the appearance of new wastes

It is recommended to be supported by lean management professionals.

Indeed, this allows the company to save time and to implement effective lean management.

What are the tools of lean management?

Lean management tools are multiple and they can be combined. Value chain mapping is a tool using the Japanese 5S method.

This makes it possible to optimize the tasks performed. In French, it can be translated by the following actions: Delete, tidy up, clean, standardize and perpetuate.

There is also the Japanese 3M method (which corresponds to Muda, Mura and Muri).

It consists of working on waste, irregularities in production flows and poor exploitation of resources.

Among the tools of lean management, we can focus on the 5P method, corresponding to the fact of asking the question 5 times: why? This repetition of the same question makes it possible to induce a deeper reflection in the face of a problem situation.

Some tips for implementing lean management

Lean management can really improve overall performance if implemented correctly.

However, it should not only be considered as a set of tools that are meant to solve a business's performance problem.

Managers must support it, as with any organizational change, and explain the long-term benefits to all employees.

On the other hand, companies that are committed to implementing a lean method must be particularly attentive to the effects of this deployment on the health of employees at work.

To properly support the implementation of lean management, the ideal is to use coaching professionals for managers. When a company wants to work on its growth, it is also interesting for it to be inspired by Success of other leaders.

What are the 3 enemies of lean management?

The enemies of Lean Management are explained by the 3M method: Muda, the Mura and the Muri.

The method applied by Toyota can have the opposite effects to those sought if the company does not anticipate the enemies of lean management.

For example, this can lead to poor management, risks to the health of workers or even excessive sharing of functions.

In order to avoid this situation, it is best to benefit from the advice of experts in business support. Visconti can help to implement an effective lean management strategy.