Satisfied employees through Lean (5): Positive working atmosphere

A positive working atmosphere is an essential prerequisite for job satisfaction. You like going to the office if you get on well with your colleagues. Also, well-functioning teams perform significantly better than in the case of conflicts within the team. Unfortunately, today’s environment, such as constant turnover and change, often makes it difficult to build well-functioning relationships among colleagues. However, relationships among colleagues can only develop if you get to know each other, create mutual understanding and work out things together.

The lean approach is ideal for this: You always start with a cross-interface analysis of processes and workflows, for example in the form of the value stream recording. Employees often get their first insight into what their colleagues actually do here. A process of understanding about the joint work is set in motion – often this is the only way to make the first improvements in the cooperation. Teamwork runs through the entire lean implementation: after recording the current situation, improvements are planned and implemented together, always with the focus: those affected become participants and take responsibility for their work processes. This approach and the ability to think outside the box permanently build respect and understanding for colleagues, which is usually reflected in an improved working atmosphere.

So we have a win-win situation again: In addition to increasing efficiency, lean also contributes to more conscious and better interaction between employees.