Public Profile

I was delighted today to receive a report about the growing use of Lean and related techniques in the public sector.

Having spent a number of years working in the public sector on transformation programmes, including with the RAF, NHS, Public Agencies and Local Authorities, I have seen many of the pitfalls that can behalf public bodies embarking on a transformation programme.

It was a long time ago that I gave up being a 'Tools Jockey' - partly because I realised the damage it was doing to organisations when I was leading programmes of support in the private sector. Luckily I was able to take this knowledge of sustainable lean into the public sector.

Sadly, for many public bodies, it seems they are going down the route of a 'tools approach', using 'drive by kaizen' which makes a quick improvement and collapses even quicker, unless you pour an ever increasing amount of money into supporting it (normally ever increasing consultancy fees).

True sustainability of change (and particularly Lean), relies on employee engagement, a vision of the future and development of internal capability. These are hard learnt lessons which it seems that many public bodies are going to learn the slow and expensive way.

Ho hum..........