Michigan Lean Consortium offers Lean training in Ann Arbor

Attendees of the MLC training work in groups to     discuss organizational culture.

The Michigan Lean Consortium (MLC), along with the Oakland University Pawley Lean Institute, held a full day of training on Monday, June 7 in the Community Room at the Edison Center, located in Ann Arbor.

The training focused on the Culture Wheel, Standardized Work Systems (SWS), and the plan-do-check-act process (PDCA) and included activities meant to help participants better understand these concepts in relation to their own companies.

Debra Setman, executive director of Strategy Development and Business Improvement at Johnson & Johnson and MLC chair, led the session on the Culture Wheel, where attendees examined their companies’ current organizational culture and identified their desired organizational culture as well as how they will overcome obstacles to achieve this ideal state.
Ken LePage, associate vice president of Process Excellence at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and MLC member liaison, covered the importance and three key tenets of SWS and gave participants a chance to work through the PDCA process.

"The training event on June 7th was a nice introduction to a couple tools for driving the culture of organizations towards a Lean philosophy,” LePage said. “We had outstanding participation and great exchanges of ideas.”

Around 25 participants from varied disciplines took part in this Lean training, including participants from: General Motors, Sauder Woodworking, Atlas Oil, Integral Consulting, Henry Ford Health Systems, Trinity Health, and more.

“I was very pleased to see different sized organizations at our June event, they clearly understood that Michigan’s future is dependent on organizations of all sizes,” Setman said. “While our future is certainly reliant on our larger companies like General Motors, it is also reliant on our small companies like Integral Consulting. To see different types of organizations coming together to share and collaborate was so encouraging to the economic strengthening of Michigan. Gone are the days of competition being the focus of growth. The focus now is on collaboration.”

The mission of the MLC is to offer a diverse network of knowledgeable Lean professionals who come together to share innovative practices. The organization aims to create a Lean culture in Michigan to ensure sustainable competitive advantage, which could translate into healthier businesses that offer more job opportunities leading to economic growth in the state.

The charter members of the MLC include: Amway, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, DTE Energy, Johnson & Johnson, The Lean Learning Center, Northwestern Michigan College, the Oakland University Pawley Lean Institute and the Michigan Shingo Prize through The Right Place. For more information, visit www.michiganlean.org.