Has anyone experienced this? You start working with front-line team members who aren’t familiar with lean, and although they might be reluctant at first, after they get going they say, “Wow! This is so much fun! It’s so creative!” Then, suddenly, hard as it was to get them going, you can’t get them to stop! To me, this isn’t surprising, because utilizing our creativity – our true humanity – is unbelievably engaging! Think about a small child ‘engaged’ in hours of fun finding different, creative uses, for something like a box, that we, as adults, think of as a mundane object! Point is, they’re engaged because they’re creating! So, if you your organization has an ‘engagement’ problem, don’t just set off on another round of pizza parties and jeans days, find ways for your team to be more creative, because that’s what really ‘engages’ people the most!
