GE WorkOut: Quality Culture Change Process
GE's Work-Out process was created in 1988 as part of the ongoing drive for better productivity and efficiency. Initially, GE Work-Out was intended to identify and eliminate unneeded processes and tasks that were left over from previous years, when management had more layers. After restructuring, many groups did more work with fewer people, rather than making comprehensive operational changes
The aptly named GE Work-Out process involves identifying an area in need of improvement and bringing people together from all sides of the process (design, marketing, production, sales, etc.) to identify a better method. The GE Work-Out team meets outside of its normal work environment to discuss the issues and develop recommendations.
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GE WorkOut Thought Leadership
GE Work-Out Case Study: Creating the Spirit of a Start-Up Firm in a Large and Complex Enterprise
Why GE Work-Out?
As Jack Welch began to recognize that employees were an important source of brainpower for new and creative ideas, he wanted to create an environment that pushes towards "a relentless, endless companywide search for a better way to do everything we do." The Work-Out program was a way to reduce bureaucracy and give every employee, from managers to factory workers, an opportunity to influence and improve GE's day-to-day operations.
Ultimately, the goal of the Work-Out program was to "clean up" GE, to make workers more productive and processes simpler and more clear-cut. "Work-Out was also designed to reduce, and ultimately eliminate. all of the waste hours and energy that organizations like GE typically expend in performing day-to-day operations."4
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GE WorkOut and Kaizen Events
How to Implement Kaizen Events by Worcester Polytechnic Institute
This workshop focuses on improving the operational performance of your supply base. Companies, large and small, whether manufacturers or service providers, depend on successful supplier performance to maximize operational effectiveness and satisfy their customers' demands.
Kaizen/Events are an effective process for introducing rapid change into your organization by utilizing the ideas and motivation of the people who do the work. In just one day you will learn how to plan and conduct a Kaizen/Event; identify the bottlenecks constraining your organization; motivate and utilize the intellectual strength of the people who will lead and implement the necessary changes for success. A successful Kaizen/Event will result in reduced process or product time cycles, increased capacity at bottleneck operations and improved service levels.
What You Will Learn
- What is a Kaizen/Event ?
- The GE Workout
- How To Identify and Assess Opportunity Areas
- How to Prepare Requirements - Lay the Groundwork for Success
- The People Side of A Kaizen/Event
- How To Identify the Scope and Constraints
- How To Conduct the Kaizen/Event
- How to Present the Results
- About the Critical Post Kaizen/Event Follow Through
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Implement a Kaizen Event
