🥇 Employee Intrinsic Motivation: How to Resolve a Conflict Caused by Lean?

The article discusses challenges associated with implementing Lean in banks, particularly in back office areas. The author answers the question about increasing conflicts between departments as a result of Lean implementation, proposing an approach based on gemba observation. It describes typical problems in the office environment, such as technology inefficiency and communication difficulties between departments.

Implementing Lean requires identifying and organizing workflow and eliminating variability causes. Problems become more visible, which on one hand increases pressure to solve them, but on the other – intensifies conflicts between departments. The article emphasizes that Lean changes priorities, forcing immediate problem-solving, which is often difficult for other departments to accept.

The next part of the article analyzes Lean's impact on professional relationships. It notes that Lean brings conflicts to the surface, just as it exposes waste in processes. Traditional social relationships and informal collaboration rules are replaced by formal, defined interactions based on internal client-supplier relationships. In Lean practice, everyone must develop co-ownership of problems and engage in their resolution.

The author proposes four criteria for evaluating professional relationships: accuracy, availability, attitude, and accepting advice. Each of these criteria is discussed in detail, and their application can help evaluate and improve relationships in the organization. It emphasizes the importance of accuracy in information exchange, colleague availability, positive attitude toward problems, and readiness to accept advice.

The article ends with a reflection on the long-term approach to professional relationships in the Lean spirit. It encourages thoroughly defining the nature of relationships and applying the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle to improve them. The author notes that every situation is unique, and the action plan must be tailored to specific people and conditions, but generally, people want to collaborate well, giving hope for success.