The invisible player that affects all business

- If you want to cause a misunderstanding, send a text message, write an email, give an instruction. It's often a brilliant way to miscommunicate. I know, you don't do any purpose. The problem is that we humans are wired to think that sending a message means we communicated. How do I know? In my projects, I would ask team members, did you communicate with Chris? To which they would reply, yes, I sent her an email, or yes, I sent her the drawing and specifications; and I would answer so you just confirm you didn't communicate? Reminding them, they only sent a message, that Chris might misinterpret the email or the drawings and then get things done wrong or late. The word communication comes from the Latin communicare. The same source as the word common as in common understanding; it means to join, to share. Think of communication as both a process and a goal. When we communicate meanings are being exchanged between two or more persons or systems, until everyone is on the same page. In business, where people and systems are interdependent, one goal of communication is for people to reach a common understanding on a request or an instruction to coordinate and get things done. What's interesting is that while we can see the results of communication, the process itself is invisible. So when a misunderstanding causes a bad outcome, we tend to forget that perhaps miscommunication has something to do with it; that's one of the reasons lean thinking can help. Since one of the basic principles is about ensuring that problems don't remain hidden. Most lean based methodologies are designed to bring problems to the surface. Why is this important? Because only when you can see a problem, you can name it, and start to find solutions. Taiichi Ohno, one of the founders of the Toyota production system, where lean originates from, stated, "Having no problem is the biggest problem of all." I take this to mean that just because you don't see a problem, it doesn't mean it's not impacting your results. There are multiple ways we can use to communicate to get things done. For example, work instructions, drawings, signs presentations, emails and texts, and of course, verbal and non-verbal communication. All of these present the same risk of causing a misunderstanding. Now, I've been practicing continuous improvement since before the word lean was introduced by John Krafcik back in 1988. As lean continues to evolve, I'm seeing how communication still impacts work. So I propose you take this challenge, include the invisible player called communication, in your Lean journey. It will help you expose one of the biggest sources of waste, and exponentially, increase your continuous improvement success.