In the spring of 1989, while many people my age were anxiously awaiting the 20th anniversary of Woodstock with legends like Santana and Rich Havens, my factory, United Electric Controls Company (UE), was preparing for a legend of a different sort. Shigeo Shingo, whose writing had been immensely consequential to UE’s business turnaround, was in our area and was planning to visit us. Shingo had traveled to the U.S. to receive an honorary doctorate from Utah State University and to bestow his name on a fledgling prize that has since become synonymous with business excellence. In this first year of the Shingo Prize, UE had submitted an application to challenge, to which we’d received only a terse rejection letter stating that we’d provided only two of the required three years of data. While we were disappointed to not be recognized by the Prize, our spirits were buoyed that we’d be able to show our accomplishments to the man whose ideas made them possible. We were Shingo geeks – the entire company – having swung in two years’ time from a low morale, low profit, low creativity organization to one bubbling over with problem-solvers, restoring profits, reducing inventories and improving on-time deliveries from 60% to 95%. The excitement at adopting this winning strategy tempered our disappointment at not having even received a site visit from the Shingo Prize. Anyhow, were going one better. Our site visit would be from the man himself, Shigeo Shingo. The one who had opened our eyes to the waste all around us, perhaps greatest of all, the 8th waste: loss of human creativity. (Image above: May 8, 1989. Shigeo Shingo Visits the UE Factory, Watertown MA. That's me on the right geeking out.)
On Monday, May 9, the day of Dr. Shingo’s arrival there was anxiety that our improvement efforts would not live up to his standards. But there was also the palpable excitement of being visited by a legend. In 1989, Shigeo Shingo may not have been well-known outside our factory, but to us he was a celebrity. About an hour into our workday, an announcement over the P/A invited any employees who wished to greet Shingo to stop work and join him in the main aisle. To my amazement, the factory and offices emptied and lined the entrance way like a parade route. I had the honor to welcome Dr. Shingo briefly before he entered build and to let him know how enthusiastic we were to have him visit. This became obvious as Shingo entered. Continuous applause and cheers filled the hallway as he passed. Fans reached out to shake hands as if he was a rock star; and to us he was. Employees demonstrated their improvements – Kanban, Poka-Yoke, one-by-one assembly -- and he was pleased, but always pressing for more. At one point as we passed a stockroom that been cut in half, Dr. Shingo turned to me and through his translator said, “Very good improvement, Mr. manager, but the level of inventory should be below your knees. You can do better.”
Shingo may be remembered today for his technical insight, but on that day, it was all about the people. In Dr. Shingo’s words, people need both better means and motivation to improve. The motivation we got on May 8, 1989 , spurred us on to challenge again for the Prize in 1990, this time with three years of data – and we prevailed. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from so many other legends, but none more significant to me than Dr. Shingo. Before Lean, when very few practitioners existed, Dr. Shingo shared through his books the secrets to finding “waste where it is thought not to exist.” We at the GBMP Consulting Group are honored to carry that legacy forward.
O.L.D.
BTW: Did you know that GBMP is the most experienced licensed Shingo Institute Affiliate, with three Shingo master trainers, three Shingo Prize Examiners and two Shingo Prize Recipients on the team. We teach ALL of the Shingo Workshops regularly. Please join us at an upcoming workshop. Click here for more information: Shingo Institute Workshops.
And - please join me this Friday, February 28 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST for a free informational webinar about our newest product offering, The Respect for People Roadmap, an immersive program to change culture at scale. Here’s the link to sign up: RFP Webinar. Or, take a free TEST DRIVE of this terrific program at your convenience.