Demand in The People Development System – Lean Principle #4

In the context of the PDS the fourth lean principle can be challenging to envision, because of the element of time. Still, the concept can be useful to stakeholders.

Principle 4 – Establish pull.

Like the principle of flow, this principle is about movement through a system. If you can’t attain one piece flow in a production system, then the goal would be to establish pull, whereby the next operation gets what is needed, when it is needed so that various types of waste are minimized.

Using this lean thinking to monitor movement through the PDS helps by reminding stakeholders that progress and movement should be constant. People should be advancing. How many are moving? Which areas need more movement? If there is no movement, what actions should be taken to restart it? Having this mindset focuses attention on the near term by keeping the team engaged and growing, and on the long term by ensuring that the future talent needs of the organization can be met.

How Pull Happens in the PDS.

New opportunities create pull in this system. People are needed (pulled) into new roles when new capabilities and capacity require people to take on new challenges. The principles of flow and pull help PDS leaders identify which positions/disciplines are moving through the other organizational systems. Keeping a watchful eye on these two forces can inform stakeholders about needed adjustments to the system.

In the PDS, a type of pull is established when the organization or the organizational systems have a need for people due to three factors:

• Growth – new business, new capacity, acquisitions
• Expansion – addition of new technology, new capabilities, or products
• Success – increase in business, new markets, or productivity

Advancing through the PDS is usually gradual and repetitive in nature. Some of the operations of the system – training, performance management, etc. – happen over and over again, making them difficult to track. 

In this case, pull is accommodated not only by promotions, but also by skill level advancement and growth in leadership, cognitive training, personal goal attainment, knowledge acquisition, coaching ability, cross training in other areas, concept understanding (such as lean, kata, systems thinking, etc.), strategic thinking, etc.

Seeing the movement in the PDS.

Systems thinking really helps when applying these principles to the PDS. Is the system moving people along their development pathways? This requires the PDS to prepare people through the performance management process and through the training process using tools like the development pathways. Of course, retention must be strong as well.

The pull effect can be identified by monitoring the needs of the three internal PDS customers and ensuring that people are positioned to move at the appropriate time. Timely data and effective communication practices are necessary for this to occur.

Bottom line, using the lean principles of flow and pull to manage the PDS helps all stakeholders monitor the progress people are making as they prepare for new roles and work to gain new capabilities to help the business succeed.

Next time, the fifth lean principle – the pursuit of perfection!