Communication & Stakeholder Relations Flashcards

A lean change leader notices that frontline employees are not speaking up about problems during daily stand-ups. What should the leader do?

Answer: Create psychological safety by modeling vulnerability and thanking employees who raise problems

Psychological safety is essential for lean; leaders who model humility and reward problem-raising encourage the open communication lean depends on.

Which communication channel is most aligned with lean principles for daily team performance updates?

Answer: A visual tiered accountability board reviewed in brief daily stand-up meetings

Tiered accountability boards with daily stand-ups provide real-time visual transparency and drive immediate problem-solving at the appropriate level.

A supplier is consistently delivering late, impacting the lean pull system. What is the most effective first stakeholder communication step?

Answer: Conduct a gemba visit at the supplier to collaboratively understand root causes

Lean's collaborative approach means going to the gemba — in this case, the supplier's facility — to observe and jointly solve root causes rather than responding punitively.

How should a lean practitioner handle a stakeholder who uses anecdotes instead of data when opposing an improvement proposal?

Answer: Acknowledge the anecdote, investigate whether it signals a real pattern, and bring evidence to a follow-up discussion

Anecdotes sometimes reveal real problems; lean practitioners investigate them with data before drawing conclusions, which also demonstrates respect for the stakeholder.

What does 'nemawashi' mean in the context of lean stakeholder communication?

Answer: The practice of building consensus through informal one-on-one dialogue before a formal decision

Nemawashi is the Japanese practice of preparing the ground for consensus by engaging stakeholders individually before formal meetings, reducing resistance and surprises.

When sharing lean improvement results with customers, which approach best reinforces the relationship?

Answer: Communicate improvements in terms of how they reduce defects, lead times, or costs that directly benefit the customer

Translating lean results into customer-centric terms (quality, speed, cost) demonstrates value delivered and strengthens the customer relationship.

A lean team completes a kaizen event but fails to communicate the changes to the affected shift workers. What is the likely outcome?

Answer: Workers will revert to old habits because they lack awareness, ownership, and training in the new process

Without communicating changes to all affected workers, lean improvements erode because people naturally default to familiar routines; change communication is critical to sustaining gains.