Better work or Bitter worker? Lessons learned from coaching frontline-driven process improvement teams
What does it really take to make happier, more engaged employees? At UMass Memorial Health, Unit-Based Teams (UBTs) were formed to help make employees feel better about coming to work by engaging them in process improvement projects that matter to them. But do they actually feel they are making their work better? Why do some employees engage in these frontline-led improvement teams, while others do not?
In this session, you’ll find out what some UBTs have done that help their teams succeed, and the challenges that keep others wishing they could have just stayed home. We’ll touch on topics including:
- Habits of successful process improvement teams
- The role of the manager
- Team culture and psychological safety
- The Unit-Based Teams approach to Lean
- Insights from a two-year research project that studied our UBTs!
Sprinkled with anecdotes from her past experiences as a bitter, disgruntled employee, Joan will also share how her non-traditional career path led her to seek a career trying to make happier workplaces, and how she was drawn to the human-centered core of the Lean philosophy.
About Joan Perreault
Joan’s varied professional background helps her bring fresh perspectives to her work as a coach for frontline-driven process improvement teams at UMass Memorial Health. Her coaching is informed by her experience with Lean and idea systems as well as her background in education, marketing, and cross-cultural communication. Outside of work, Joan has an addiction to audiobooks, practices improv comedy, and is on a continuously improving mission to 5S her home (Kanban cards included).
