CLL Professional Standards & Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'nemawashi' as it relates to ethical Lean leadership?
- Rapid implementation without consultation
- Building consensus through informal discussion before formal decisions (Correct answer)
- Eliminating non-value-added steps in a process
- Tracking defects per million opportunities
Correct answer: Building consensus through informal discussion before formal decisions
Nemawashi refers to the practice of consulting and building consensus among stakeholders before implementing changes, reflecting respect and inclusive decision-making.
Question 2: A Lean Leader takes full credit for improvements that were achieved by the team. This violates which professional standard?
- Standard work documentation
- Integrity and fair attribution of team contributions (Correct answer)
- 5S workplace organization
- Kanban pull system design
Correct answer: Integrity and fair attribution of team contributions
Professional ethics require leaders to fairly credit team members for their contributions rather than appropriating collective success for personal gain.
Question 3: When a Lean practitioner identifies a safety hazard during a kaizen event, the ethical obligation is to:
- Note it in the final report for future action
- Stop the event and address the safety issue immediately (Correct answer)
- Continue the event and inform safety personnel afterward
- Assign it as a follow-up action item with a 90-day timeline
Correct answer: Stop the event and address the safety issue immediately
Safety always takes precedence in ethical Lean practice, requiring immediate action when a hazard is identified rather than deferring it.
Question 4: Ethical Lean leadership requires that improvement goals be set:
- By executives alone to ensure strategic alignment
- Collaboratively with input from those who perform the work (Correct answer)
- Based solely on financial metrics
- Independently by the Lean department
Correct answer: Collaboratively with input from those who perform the work
Collaborative goal-setting that includes front-line workers is both more effective and reflects the ethical principle of respect for people in Lean practice.
Question 5: A Lean Leader is asked to certify a process as compliant when they know it does not fully meet standards. The ethical action is to:
- Sign off to avoid project delays
- Refuse to certify and document the specific gaps (Correct answer)
- Certify with a note of minor exceptions
- Ask a colleague to certify instead
Correct answer: Refuse to certify and document the specific gaps
Professional integrity prohibits certifying processes that do not meet standards, as doing so creates false confidence and potential downstream quality or safety issues.
Question 6: The ethical standard of 'continuous learning' in Lean leadership means a leader should:
- Only pursue training offered by their current employer
- Actively seek to update skills and knowledge throughout their career (Correct answer)
- Share knowledge only within their own department
- Limit learning to areas directly required by their job description
Correct answer: Actively seek to update skills and knowledge throughout their career
Professional standards for Lean leaders include a commitment to lifelong learning and staying current with evolving practices and tools.
Question 7: When coaching a subordinate Lean practitioner who makes an error during a kaizen event, the ethical Lean Leader should:
- Document the error for the performance review
- Use it as a learning opportunity and support the practitioner's growth (Correct answer)
- Remove the practitioner from future events
- Publicly address the error to prevent recurrence
Correct answer: Use it as a learning opportunity and support the practitioner's growth
Lean's respect for people principle requires leaders to treat errors as learning opportunities and coach practitioners rather than punish mistakes.
CLL Professional Standards & Ethics 3
Which of the following best describes the concept of 'nemawashi' as it relates to ethical Lean leadership?