Deal with problems before they grow too big to handle

• Everyone involved gathers together for an intensive look into what happened and why, and they then see how to solve the problems.
• The role of the leader is not to dominate or to preach, but merely to facilitate, to listen and to wait for the solutions to come… which they invariably do.
• Each little problem must be identified, and each one solved as soon as it is spotted: a pipe that’s 10 degrees off the vertical, a tiny crack or a leak, a loose cable, a missing nut.

I was recently invited by Arun Devani, the CEO of Synresins, to visit his business at the far end of the Industrial Area to see how it has applied the principles of Kaizen.

Arun took me through the journey he and his colleagues have been on, stimulated by his attendance at a Kaizen conference on lean manufacturing in Canada.

There he heard about what happens at Toyota when a problem occurs on the production line: they bring it to an immediate stop.

Everyone involved gathers together for an intensive look into what happened and why, and they then see how to solve the problems before they risk wasting more materials, damaging machinery or further delaying production.

So a while ago, when Synresins was suffering from serious stock-outs, Arun called for a big multi-day meeting in the boardroom.

On the first day each person present was given a flip chart and asked to write down all the problems they were facing – all of them – identifying possible sources. No solutions at this stage, just the problems, and then each took the others through what they had written.

On the next day, and on other flip charts, possible solutions were identified, including to the smallest of the problems, bearing in mind the old saying that “a stitch in time saves nine”.

The following day, aware that many were behind with entering data, they came with their computers into the board room and hacked away till the information was up to date. Then on the final day the team agreed its action plans.

Everyone at Synresins is involved, and no one can say they weren’t consulted or listened to.

Those who are more at home in Kiswahili than in English received help, and nothing — however ugly — is hidden. People know they are safe to be open and frank, without fear of retribution, and this includes criticism of “the boss’.

All focus is on solving problems, and on learning and sharing that learning.

The role of the leader is not to dominate or to preach, but merely to facilitate, to listen and to wait for the solutions to come… which they invariably do.

Synresins applies Kaizen’s “300-29-1” pyramid, through which thy take care of 300 minuscule problems so they can eliminate 29 sub problems, and ultimately the single big one.

Each little problem must be identified, and each one solved as soon as it is spotted: a pipe that’s 10 degrees off the vertical, a tiny crack or a leak, a loose cable, a missing nut.

Often such problems lie hidden under layers of dirt, which is why cleanliness is so vital. But cleanliness also encourages a sense of pride and an expectation of high quality, not to mention that it is vital for ensuring health and safety.