Lean Team Performance Improvement

I am studying the characteristics of a framework that better describes the dynamics in a team to accelerate improvement as a team.

I recently read a journal article by Desiree H. van Dun and Celeste P.M. Wilderom focused on Improving high lean team performance through aligned behaviour-value patterns and coactive vicarious learning-by-doing.

Based on their review of the literature, the model below represented their expectation of the connection between the different levels of leadership and the work-floor teams. Relations-oriented behaviours describe a leadership focus which is interested in the workers' sense of purpose and positivity towards their work. Task-oriented behaviours describe a leadership focus on making sure that the work gets done.

This study focused on how two high-performing lean teams kept improving. It focused on both the work behaviours and values of the team, and the team leaders.

Key findings were as follows:

1. Higher-level leader support for lean: Physically present to influence mindset, participate in meetings and Gemba walks, and to ensure the teams had all the resources they needed. Regular face-to-face conversations. They celebrated and rewarded teams while also inviting others to visit to proudly exemplify the excellence of these teams. They frequently used language which conveyed full support and 'walk-the-talk' for lean. There was continuity at the top.
2. Team-leader behaviours: Equal mix of relations and task-oriented behaviours. Balance between monitoring progress, and supporting through feedback from higher-ups as well as giving credit where it was due. Regularly visible and available for social interaction. Participation in activities and improved listening to take onboard ideas for better support. The equal balance of relations and task focus was critical.
3. Team behaviours: Performance monitoring was exceptional at all times. Knowledge sharing was prominent, and high morale was evident through laughter and listening. Peer support, proactive idea sharing, and interactive Kaizen events enabled improvement for already high-performing teams.
4. Self-transcendence and openness-to-change values were evident in the top teams. The former cluster includes respect and teamwork, while the latter includes quality and innovation. A mindset for optimisation was highlighted, as was the criticality of collaboration no matter how many experts were on the team.
5. When leaders reduced their performance monitoring, the teams showed more of it. This illustrates trust and togetherness. In the excellent teams, the behaviours of both levels of leadership and the behaviours of the work floor teams became more closely aligned to their respective values.
6. Coactive vicarious learning-by-doing is a learning dynamic which was a key finding in this study. Higher level leaders continued their regular face-to-face visits with work floor teams as they observed and listened to the positive feedback. Team leaders balanced their relations and task oriented behaviours based on what they saw working. All actors in the high performance teams saw continuous improvement as an opportunity for personal development as well. Higher level leaders were able to role-model and learn from the team leaders and teams. The cross-level aligned behaviour value patterns of lean teams and their leaders emerge through their co-active vicarious learning-by-doing which leads to continued improvement.
7. Contextual factors such as team size, full-time ratio, and lean maturity had an impact on team leader behaviour and team design characteristics.

The aligned behaviour value patterns of all actors (higher-level leaders, team leaders, teams), and the balanced task and relations-oriented behaviours in this proposed model illustrate the idea of 'coactive vicarious learning by doing'. Higher level leaders frequently visit the work floor to learn about the benefits of lean implementation and to understand what support is required to maintain improvement...

Key characteristics evident here: Coactive vicarious learning-by-doing, the inter-connection of the actors, and the balance between task and relations-oriented behaviour.