Lean HR

There are times when we need to shuffle the deck a bit in our organizations. Department structures and reporting lines change, job duties are swapped between people, even physical plant layouts are sometimes revisited. Too often, we as leaders huddle up to figure out what needs to be done.

The problem is we all too often forget to include the people to whom it is being done. One of the basic tenants of Lean is that no one knows the work better than the person doing it, so they are your best source of ideas for improvement. Those same people have a great perspective on what works, what doesn’t, and how we can reorganize to be more effective.

There’s no sin in asking for help. And, with a few exceptions, there are no good reasons not to include your team in discussions that concern their short and long term future. If you want them engaged, treat them as if they have a voice worth listening to, let them be part of the decision making process, and keep them up to date on what is happening around them, if when it is still in the planning stage.

Asking for forgiveness instead of permission may work at times, but it does not build trust with your team.