LMC Communication & Stakeholder Relations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A lean change leader notices that frontline employees are not speaking up about problems during daily stand-ups. What should the leader do?
- Mandate that each employee must raise one issue per week
- Create psychological safety by modeling vulnerability and thanking employees who raise problems (Correct answer)
- Record attendance and penalize those who stay silent
- Replace the stand-up with a suggestion box system
Correct 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.
Question 2: Which communication channel is most aligned with lean principles for daily team performance updates?
- A weekly email summary distributed to all team members
- A digital dashboard visible only to managers
- A visual tiered accountability board reviewed in brief daily stand-up meetings (Correct answer)
- A monthly PowerPoint presentation to the whole organization
Correct 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.
Question 3: A supplier is consistently delivering late, impacting the lean pull system. What is the most effective first stakeholder communication step?
- Issue a formal written complaint and threaten contract termination
- Conduct a gemba visit at the supplier to collaboratively understand root causes (Correct answer)
- Switch suppliers immediately without discussion
- Accept the delays and increase internal buffer stock
Correct 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.
Question 4: How should a lean practitioner handle a stakeholder who uses anecdotes instead of data when opposing an improvement proposal?
- Dismiss the anecdote as irrelevant and rely solely on your data
- Acknowledge the anecdote, investigate whether it signals a real pattern, and bring evidence to a follow-up discussion (Correct answer)
- Agree with the stakeholder to avoid conflict
- Escalate to leadership to override the stakeholder's opinion
Correct 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.
Question 5: What does 'nemawashi' mean in the context of lean stakeholder communication?
- A root cause analysis technique using five repeated questions
- The practice of building consensus through informal one-on-one dialogue before a formal decision (Correct answer)
- A visual scheduling system for production leveling
- A method for measuring lead time across a value stream
Correct 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.
Question 6: When sharing lean improvement results with customers, which approach best reinforces the relationship?
- Share only data that reflects positively on your organization
- Communicate improvements in terms of how they reduce defects, lead times, or costs that directly benefit the customer (Correct answer)
- Limit customer communication to formal contract review cycles
- Focus communication on internal efficiency metrics such as OEE
Correct 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.
Question 7: A lean team completes a kaizen event but fails to communicate the changes to the affected shift workers. What is the likely outcome?
- The changes will self-implement as workers observe the new layout
- Workers will revert to old habits because they lack awareness, ownership, and training in the new process (Correct answer)
- Productivity will improve automatically since the waste was physically removed
- Night shift workers will independently document the new standard work
Correct 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.
LMC Communication & Stakeholder Relations 3
A lean change leader notices that frontline employees are not speaking up about problems during daily stand-ups.
What should the leader do?