We we try something new often people find out how others have done it in the past to avoid doing the same mistakes . Like in lean transformation we try to copy the path taken by the successful companies and apply tools and methods exactly the same way thinking we can save ourselves the pitfalls of the change process. We want to learn how people failed doing something and then avoid doing it ourselves thinking we are saving ourselves from the trouble. This may help us for short time but is not necessarily the best way.
Each organization, each process and people are different. We cannot expect the same results by applying what others have done. There is a need to experiment, allow failure and learn from it. People learn a whole lot from failure than from a success. Failure forces people to think, by thinking we learn by learning we improve.
By all means get out there and learn from others but don’t stop experimenting yourself. Learning from your own mistakes will make you and your team confident and successful at implementing Lean Transformation and will make you experts specifically for your processes. This knowledge cannot be build within the organization by just learning about what others are doing.
Learn From Other’s Mistakes But Don’t Forget to Make Your Own!
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. Working on serious issues like a cheap alternative for current service from a vendor is last thought on anyone’s mind.