Mentor, teacher, or perhaps an expert?

Each of us in our careers has met a person who stood out for his or her extensive theoretical knowledge. He or she also had practical experience and the ability to transfer skills to other people. In the context of Lean Manufacturing, Sensei is a key figure, acting as a mentor and teacher. He/she is characterized not only by expert-level knowledge and experience, but also by the ability to transmit values related to Lean principles to other employees.

In the following article, we will look at the essential qualities that a Sensei should have. We will also examine what competencies in the context of Lean Manufacturing a Sensei should have.

Sensei’s theoretical knowledge

The first aspect that distinguishes a Sensei is his or her substantive knowledge. He/she should be an expert in the area of Lean Manufacturing. First of all, he/she should understand the principles, tools and techniques related to waste reduction and optimization of production processes (and more). Familiarity with concepts such as Kaizen, 5S or Value Stream Mapping should come naturally to him/her.

Practical knowledge

Sensei not only knows the theory, but also has extensive practical experience in implementing Lean in various areas and organizations. The use of case studies, real stories, successes and failures help to better illustrate the benefits that follow the implementation of Lean concepts in an organization. This practical “know-how” allows him to deal effectively with various challenges. Sensei should be able to adapt the theory to the specific environment and needs of a particular company.

Ability to pass on knowledge to others

Another key feature is Sensei’s ability to share knowledge. It is not only the ability to conduct training or workshops, but also the ability to understand the specifics of an organization and adapt the knowledge transferred to specific contexts. Supporting the educational process and developing the competence of employees are key goals of Sensei.

Continuous improvement

The dynamically changing business environment requires Sensei to be ready for change, and thus for continuous improvement. He must be open to new ideas, technologies and methods.

The concept of continuous improvement is characteristic of Lean Management. This should also be reflected in Sensei’s attitude.

Effective communication

Last, but not least, is the ability to communicate effectively. A Sensei should be an excellent listener, able to understand the concerns and needs of his colleagues. His communication should be clear, inspiring to action and conducive to building trust within the team.

Sensei acts as a teacher who imparts knowledge to selected people from the company. Here it should be noted that the selection of people cannot be random. Sensei uses his experience and intuition in selecting his “students.” They will acquire new knowledge and then improve their skills in order to spread Lean culture in the organization.

Sensei’s Responsibilities

The duties incumbent on a Sensei cover a wide range of activities, both theoretical and practical. Below are some of the key responsibilities that fall on him:

• Teaching and training – providing Lean Manufacturing training to employees at various hierarchical levels. Transferring theoretical and practical knowledge related to Lean principles is one of the basic tasks. It is also extremely important to teach co-workers the ability to recognize waste in processes.
• Support in implementations – actively participating in projects to implement Lean in the organization. Sensei’s job is to help leaders of various departments in the company identify areas for improvement.
• Mentoring – supporting other employees in developing their talents and understanding the Lean philosophy. True Sensei offers one-on-one support to team leaders in implementing Lean concepts in their daily work.
• Continuous improvement – monitoring the effectiveness of the improvement activities undertaken and proposing continuous improvements. This responsibility makes it necessary for Sensei to constantly keep up to date with trends in new technologies, methods and tools in the Lean area.
• Adaptation to the specifics of the organization – adaptation of the Lean methodology to the specific environment in which the company operates.
• Creating a Lean culture – supporting creation of a culture based on Lean values throughout the organization. Promoting employee involvement in the continuous improvement process. The better developed the soft competencies, the greater the effectiveness of the Sensei in carrying out this task.
• Analysis of the results – monitoring the efficiency and effectiveness indicators of the activities carried out as part of optimization projects.
• Effective communication – clear communication of the goals and benefits of implementing Lean in the organization is one of Sensei’s primary responsibilities.

Get to know the story of my Sensei

At the beginning of my journey of learning about Lean Manufacturing methodology, I met Sensei. The senior man was Japanese, having gained his experience working at Toyota plants. I remember when he first arrived at the company, he was introduced to the entire team and without hesitation went to the “gemba” to see how the production processes worked. What I remembered from our meeting, was his patience in watching the standard of the operator’s work, staring at the range of movements and paying attention to any waste that could be seen.

Thanks to him, I learned how to define waiting waste and how to look for solutions to help minimize or reduce this waste. It was about the moment when an operator would start a machine by pressing a button and wait for the machine to complete its production cycle. Sensei pointed out that we can’t allow an employee to waste time in this case. Moments later, I was given the task, along with my team, of improving the standard of the operator in this position.

Thanks to this lesson, we were able to optimize our production processes in the future by eliminating the waiting waste. On the next visit, there were no more processes where this waste could be seen by our expert. He congratulated us.

The role of Sensei in Lean culture

A Sensei in Lean Manufacturing not only imparts knowledge, but most importantly inspires and motivates the team to action. His role goes beyond the traditional teaching approach. He becomes a key factor in the cultural transformation in the organization. With Sensei’s involvement, companies achieve not only short-term success in process improvement, but more importantly, they build the foundation for long-term growth and competitiveness.

In conclusion, all companies that want to build an organizational culture in line with Lean principles should make sure to have such a person as Sensei in their structures.