ABSTRACT
Managing ambiguity is an integral part of all change programs. As discussed previously, Lean and change go hand in hand. However, to make a Lean effort, it is important to bring clarity to a host of issues so that employees do not speculate about what is happening and how they will be affected by it. I have seen Lean journeys derailed because of lack of clarity. Clarity is nothing but alignment and awareness about key issues concerning the organization and the Lean efforts that are under way. This is something the Lean Change Leader cannot do by himself but has to be owned by the entire top management. It cannot be achieved by communicating once but is something that has to be mentioned repeatedly in available forums. There are many areas on which employees need to have clarity. When communicating, leaders need to be sure they are specific. I have come up with a list of 15 major areas on which clarity is required during a Lean transformation. Figure 16.1 summarizes them, and they need to be made clear to employees during various points of a Lean journey. I call them the 15Cs of Lean transformation and have successfully used them in my Lean efforts. Just one thing that you need to keep in mind for each of these areas is that, while communicating, leaders need to be specific so that all can understand what is being conveyed.
