This weekend I watched Dead Poets Society, a movie I haven't actually watched until now. In the movie, Robin Williams' character, Mr. Keating, is an English teacher at a preparatory school. Mr. Keating tries to get his students to see the world from a new perspective, to become freethinkers, and unleash their own creativity. The students of Welton are taught the four principles of Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence. Parents send their sons to Welton in order to ensure success through conformity to the high standards of the school, and in their worldview, society at large. Mr. Keating brings about a new worldview, one where breaking from conformity of the world can bring about a much greater happiness than Welton's idea of success through conformity.
Copyright Touchstone Pictures
In the photo above you see Mr. Keating standing on his desk and asks his class "Why am I standing on my desk?" As the students make incorrect guesses, he tells them that he stands on his desk to remind himself that we must constantly look at things from a different way. This scene, and the general theme of the movie, got me thinking about the idea of standard work. I had a conversation a couple weeks ago about how to constantly improve, yet at the same time follow standard work. Typically people see standard work as conforming to some very particular way in doing things. Standard Work alone can seem like just conforming to whatever you are told, but what I find interesting with Lean is how much creativity is drawn out of people.
"There is a place for daring and a place for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for."
In Lean, Standard Work allows one to do the work without thought. Things are placed in such a way and we have mastered the skill so much so that we don't need to spend much time thinking about the actual things that we are doing. Instead, we think about how we can improve upon what we are doing, or look at the work in a different way as to gain a new perspective on what we are doing and why. Standard Work is not conformity. When we improve upon the work we do, we create new Standard Work, and we share it with each other. In Dead Poets Society a group of students use the poems of others to inspire their own, and they share their creations with each other. When we improve upon a standard, we must share it and let that sharing inspire others. Allowing a culture of conformity and control consume you will destroy the confidence and creativity of your people. Standard Work alone is not Lean, it requires a constant effort of improving, sharing, training, and mastering the skills while constantly changing perspective, constantly striving for better while not limiting one's own creativity.
The 8th waste is the waste of the creativity of people - people working so hard, or working without thought is an enormous waste in the general work culture of western companies. Stand up on your desks! Gain new perspectives! Things can be different for all of us! Work and happiness are not mutually exclusive. Be the Mr. Keating to your own organization, challenge thoughts, inspire creativity, and finally...
Carpe Diem! Seize the Day!