Key Points

• If leaders want Hoshin Kanri to be successful, they must fully put themselves into the process.
• Employees will be more successful with project rollouts if they see leadership taking an active role.
• Leaders also need to hold themselves accountable for failures and keep things moving.

No matter what total quality management or quality management system you want to implement, one truth is that leadership will be required for success. No matter why an organization wants to adopt a new process or methodology, if leadership isn’t fully on board, any attempts to change are dead on arrival. 

This is no less true with Hoshin Kanri, already in place with famous brands like Toyota, Bridgestone, and Nissan. Enacting this Japanese management methodology would have required leaders at each company to fully sign off on any implementation. The hope is that the rest of the employee base will follow once leaders show support. 

What Is Hoshin Kanri? 

Better known as “Policy Deployment,” Hoshin Kanri has existed since the 1960s and has evolved into a process that aligns a company’s vision with streamlining day-to-day operations. In other words, when a company wants to connect directly between its purpose, direction, and goals, it looks to methodologies like Hoshin Kanri to help bring all of these together. 

The good news is that it doesn’t matter if you are a 10-person or 10,000-person company, as the principles attached to this management style are all the same. The biggest takeaway is that if an organization wants to be aligned using a process like Hoshin Kanri, everyone inside the organization must understand the strategy, and that strategy must come from leadership who are 100% on board. 

Why Leadership Matters So Much

If you want to see a successful implementation of Hoshin Kanri, one of the most critical factors is someone who can provide the vision, clarity, and drive. This means that leaders will be looked at to help set the stage for the policy deployment that is so critical for success. 

A leader will set the right vision and goals and outline all of the key initiatives and strategies related to any Hoshin Kanri rollout. Rest assured that without leadership buy-in, any Hoshin Kanri deployment will fail before it gets off the ground. 

What Is The Role Of Leaders? 

Establishing the Right Vision 

At the onset of any Hoshin Kanri implementation, leadership must deliver the right vision to their team. This vision can be comprehensive, including long-term goals, or it can be more high-level, letting employees know there is a unified direction across the organization and that this process is taking place. 

Something has to be said about why Hoshin Kanri is starting regarding deployment and why it will lead to meaningful organizational change. To establish this vision, leaders have to get out in the public eye, whether through pre-recorded videos sent to staff, town halls, weekly emails, phone calls, meetings, or whatever needs to be done to ensure they are visibly and actively communicating.  

Strong Commitment 

At the same time, leaders deliver their vision, employees must get a sense of the level of commitment from leaders. Leaders must immediately convey the message that employees will have the time and attention they need to get this right. A commitment is necessary to get projects like these off the ground, and actively engaging with teams is how it will get done. 

Providing Proper Resources

No matter how committed leaders might be verbally, the same commitment level must be shown in a practical setting. This means there is a necessary investment in training, technology, and potentially even more hires to ensure the success of a Hoshin Kanri rollout. There is no question that if leaders don’t provide the organization with the right amount of resources, any project is doomed from the start. 

Establishing Accountability 

Right from the start of a Hoshin Kanri rollout, leaders must create a culture of accountability that ensures everyone has a clear role and responsibility. Everyone should know who is responsible for what, and this means that there is no confusion as to who should be held accountable if someone isn’t meeting the right deliverables to keep project rollouts on track. 

On the other hand, leaders also need to ensure they reward accountability, which might occur through using the same public venues as establishing a vision. Those who go above and beyond deserve recognition for being accountable and should be highlighted in town halls, emails, etc., to continue driving excellence. 

Providing Feedback

Leaders are responsible for keeping everything on track, so they have to be willing to provide honest feedback, even if it’s negative at times. This generally should come through regular quarterly or monthly reviews that show progress tracking against the initial objectives. Any of these meetings will allow for real-time adjustments to the strategy, with all key stakeholders in a room who can ensure alignment and commit on behalf of their teams to making the necessary updates to get back on track. 

This feedback will generally be through metrics and data, and a leader’s job is to consistently look at key performance indicators to see progress. This is the best opportunity to learn what kind of feedback needs to be given and how it should be addressed. This way, feedback is based on something tangible, not just a hunch. 

In addition, feedback should be a two-way street, where leaders listen and talk. If resources are missing, leaders need to know and be willing to step in and ensure these feedback opportunities give them a chance to show their commitment by indicating they will provide them. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

One of the single worst challenges of any Hoshin Kanri rollout, TQM, or QMS system is the concern of employees working in silos. It’s up to leaders to make sure this doesn’t happen and that cross-functional meetings and processes are being built from the ground up if necessary. 

Holding cross-functional meetings is a great place to start, as it ensures that every department knows how the work of another group affects its own. If there are resource issues between departments, it’s up to leaders to help figure out the best path forward, even if it means temporarily or permanently dividing up resources between teams. 

Ultimately, a leader must encourage and exemplify what it means to be a team across all the different functions and roles responsible for a successful Hoshin Kanri rollout. A great leader knows that teamwork and collaboration are the best possible outcomes in any process rollout. 

Leading By Example

Last but not least, a great leader knows they must lead by example. Their role has to be more than that of a figurehead. All leaders must know that actions must back up their words and that they are willing to metaphorically roll up their sleeves and help get the work done. Leaders must show that they also embrace Hoshin Kanri tools and methodologies, just as they ask all of their employees to do so. 

In the same light, it’s up to a leader to frame any potential failure as an opportunity for a team or individual to learn. A leader blaming others will create a fearful and discouraging environment, leading to more failure. So, a leader must exemplify someone willing to help, encourage, and celebrate the wins. 

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

While Hoshin Kanri is a terrific process that can work for companies like Toyota, it’s not the only process methodology today. You might want to read more about Total Quality Management and dispel some of the myths around this process and why it might work best for your company. 

Similarly, you can also read about some of the challenges involved in rolling out Lean Six Sigma in highly regulated industries. If you work in one of these fields, you know all about how difficult getting compliance to sign off on anything can be. 

Conclusion 

At the end of the day, plenty of things separate good leaders from great leaders, and it’s the latter you want involved in driving Hoshin Kanri. These individuals will help encourage employees and avoid asking them to do anything they wouldn’t be willing to do themselves. Leaders will also help ensure a clear understanding of why this process is so important, the benefits, and how to ensure silos are not keeping everyone from working together.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com.