Mar 4 2013
Michel Baudin’s review of The Spirit of Kaizen | Amazon.com
See on Scoop.it – lean manufacturing
The key message of this book is that, no matter what your situation is, you should only try to improve it with small changes and that large changes never work because “we are built to resist radical change.” The author explains that the perspective of change sets off an alarm in a part of your brain called the amygdala, which confuses the change with a charging lion, triggers a flight-or-fight response, and prevents you from thinking rationally.
According to the author, a series of small steps works because they manage not to set off your alarms, and you are like the legendary frog who doesn’t react to small increases in water temperature until he is boiled. But wait! The author does not use this metaphor. To him, the fear response is purely irrational. The production manager who has spent 25 years working up from the shop floor should have no fear of losing her job to the young whippersnapper touting the latest change program.
See on www.amazon.com
March 6, 2013 @ 11:01 pm
I often hear that “People resist any kind of change”. Well, I disagree…and I also disagree with the size of the change being a determining factor!
Let me explain, people resist change if they perceive it as hardship, more expensive or more difficult to swallow! It has nothing to do with small or massive change. It only has to do with how the change is presented and how it is understood! For instance a small change of raising/lowering the room temperature by 5 degrees, may be received unfavorably, if the perception is negative about the temp. change. However a large and massive Change of cutting the working hours in a week by half and increasing the salaries by 100% at the same time, not only will not be resisted but it may actually be so welcomed that people will resist delays in executing this Change!
Coming back to Kaizen and small changes, our job as Kaizen leaders/managers is to present the idea of Change as a positive, helpful, easier, cheaper and faster issue, which will help the Team Members to have less stress and be more employable…
Instead, if we use the idea to cut headcounts, well,…. I bet you would resist to that kind of change also, if you were on the receiving end, wouldn’t you!!!???