Underutilized Skills and Talents

For More Course Materials, Ad Free Content, Handouts, Quizzes, Certification and Activities Click Here.

  The 8’th form of waste was identified and added to the other 7 forms of waste by Dr. Jim Womack in the book Lean Thinking.  This type of waste suggests that we go to a great effort in order to obtain well qualified and experienced employees that eventually end up working behind a desk from nine to five.  While the work that these individuals do on a daily basis is very important, it is guaranteed that almost every individual is capable of much more than what he or she does.  The waste of underutilized skills also applies to machine talent.  Too often we use the same systems and procedures because it is what we normally do and we rob those computers or machines of their full potential.  Like our computers and machines the same goes for our most important asset, people.

Click on the Photo to Visit our Training Page.

Why Deal With This Waste?
  The waste of skills is not easy to correct and oftentimes requires behavior, cultural and organizational changes, but when the change occurs companies often find happier, more productive people who want to live the spirit of kaizen.  Some ways that you can ensure your employees' talent does not go to waste are: 

• Seek to build an organization of teamwork where silos do not exist. 
  
• Employee involvement in all phases of the company begins to develop a culture where experience, creativity and the intelligence of employees can harness their potential.

For More Course Materials, Ad Free Content, Handouts, Quizzes, Certification and Activities Click Here.

Challenge:

• In what ways have you experienced the waste of underutilized skills and talents?  How would you go about removing this type of waste?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below and receive a coupon to one of Lean Strategies International LLC's courses.

Click on the photo to visit our training page.

Causes of Wasted Talent
​  Oftentimes a production employee may do the same task day in and day out in order to just stay “busy.”  Rarely do these individuals get engaged and sometimes they are never even spoken to.  However, that individual if engaged and empowered may know of some significant ways to improve their job function.  After all they work in the gemba day in and day out seeing waste and creating value first hand.  Additionally, the waste of skills can be the result of conflict within organizations.  Whether that conflict is with leadership or fellow team members, conflict can keep people in shells, trapping them and creating an environment where many are afraid to shine.  Finally, we must address a common cause of underutilized skills which are errors and rules that when they happen leave people feeling as though they are handcuffed and may never be forgiven of their mistakes again.

Learn more online!