1. Lead with Humility

A common trait among leaders of business excellence is a sense of humility. Humility is an enabling principle that precedes learning and improvement. A leader’s willingness to seek feedback, listen attentively, and continually learn creates an environment in which associates feel respected and energized and freely give of their creative abilities. Improvement is only possible when people are willing to acknowledge their vulnerability and abandon biases in their pursuit of a better way.

Examples of Ideal Behavior
– There is consistent and predictable leadership engagement where work is done.
– Employees can report issues with confidence in a positive response.

Interconnection Solution Alignment

Business Process Center (EPC): Offering transparency into goals, policies, processes, and performance.

EPC and Open Communication: Openly post issues, questions, and improvements with the ability to monitor subsequent actions.

2. Respect for the Individual

Respect must become something deeply felt by and for every person in an organization. Respect for each individual naturally includes respect for customers, suppliers, the community, and society at large. People are encouraged when this kind of respect is demonstrated. Most associates will say that being respected is the most important thing they want from their job. When people feel respected, they give much more than their hands—they give their minds and hearts as well.

To better understand the principle of respect for each individual, simply ask yourself “why?” The answer is because we are all human beings with value and potential. Because this is true, each individual deserves my respect.

Examples of Ideal Behaviors
– Create an employee development plan that includes appropriate goals.
– Involve employees in improving the work done in their areas.
– Ongoing problem-solving training.

Aligning the interconnection solution

Clarifying roles and responsibilities

Sharing knowledge with others experiencing similar issues, problems, and solutions

3. Focus on the process

All results are a consequence of a process. It is almost impossible for even good people to consistently produce ideal results with a poor process both inside and outside the organization. There is a natural tendency to blame the people involved when something goes wrong or is less than ideal, when in reality the vast majority of the time the problem is rooted in an imperfect process, not in the people.

Examples of ideal behaviors
– When an error occurs, focus on improving the process that caused it.
– Ensure that all parts, materials, information, and resources are correct and meet specifications before using them in a process.

Alignment of the interconnection solution

The process is at the heart of EPC: transparency, location variance management, visualization, focus on continuous process improvement and not on blaming individuals.

4. Embrace scientific thinking

Innovation and improvement are the consequence of repeated cycles of experimentation, direct observation, and learning. The relentless and systematic exploration of new ideas, including failures, allows us to constantly refine our understanding of reality.

Examples of ideal behavior
– Follow a structured approach to problem solving.
– Encourage employees to explore new ideas without fear of failure.

Interconnection solution alignment

Structured and organized frameworks

Integrated best practice approaches: (RACI, RASCI, SIPOC),

Scientific improvement methodologies: Lean Six Sigma, Simulation, Intelligence-based impact analysis

5. Flow and carryover value

Customer value is maximised when it is created in response to real demand and in a continuous, uninterrupted flow. While single flow is the ideal, demand is often distorted between and within organisations. Waste is anything that disrupts the continuous flow of value.

Examples of ideal behaviour
– Avoid creating or having more products or services than are needed to meet customer demand.
– Ensure that the necessary resources are available when required.

Aligning the interconnection solution

Automated end-to-end value streams to visualise all upstream and downstream activities

Visualise all customer touchpoints and customer satisfaction by individual interface and touchpoint

6. Ensure quality at source

Perfect quality is only achieved when every element of work is done right the first time. If an error occurs, it must be detected and corrected at the time of its creation.

Examples of ideal behaviors
– Arrange work areas so that potential problems are immediately visible.
– Stop work to correct errors before continuing.

Aligning the interconnection solution

Forums are linked to the process and task to identify the exact source of the problem and the action taken for immediate remediation.

7. Striving for Perfection

Perfection is an aspiration that is unlikely to be achieved, but the pursuit of which creates a mindset and culture of continuous improvement. The realization of what is possible is limited only by the paradigms through which we view and understand the world.

Examples of Ideal Behaviors
– Create long-term solutions rather than letting temporary patches be applied.
– Constantly work to simplify work.

Aligning the Interconnected Solution

Program-based, not project-based: Extends to all employees in the company so they are part of the company culture

Promotes continuous improvement with ongoing monitoring

8. Creating Constancy of Purpose

Unwavering clarity of why the organization exists, where it is going, and how it will get there enables people to align their actions, as well as innovate, adapt, and take risks with greater confidence.

Examples of Ideal Behaviors
– Clearly communicate the organization’s direction and purpose to everyone.
– Set goals that are related to the organization’s overall goals.

Alignment of the interconnection solution

Clearly defined goals with sub-goals that support the individual goal and performance indicators that quantify and monitor the performance of that goal.

Documentation and communication of all high-level company policies and values

9. Think systemically

Understanding the relationships and interconnectedness of a system allows us to make better decisions and improvements.

Examples of ideal behaviors
– Remove any barriers that impede the flow of ideas, information, decisions, product, etc.

Alignment of the interconnection solution

Open ability to raise issues, challenges, barriers, exceptions, etc. that prevent the organization from achieving a specific goal and propose recommended changes and improvements that support that goal.

Break down goals and performance indicators down to the employee level so they understand how their goals align with those of the company.

10. Create Customer Value

Ultimately, value must be defined through the lens of what a customer wants and is willing to pay for. Organizations that fail to effectively and efficiently deliver on this critical outcome cannot sustain themselves over the long term.

Examples of Ideal Behaviors
– Work to understand customer needs and expectations.

Aligning the Interconnection Solution

Align customer measures with corporate objectives and align them directly with operational processes

Monitor performance of key customer measures (internal and external)

Survey customer satisfaction with visualization of problem areas