Communication & Stakeholder Relations Flashcards

Which stakeholder communication behavior is most consistent with lean's 'respect for people' principle?

Answer: Listening actively to frontline workers before designing solutions that affect their work

Respect for people in lean means involving those closest to the work in designing improvements, which requires active listening before acting.

In a lean transformation, executive sponsors fail to attend improvement reviews. What risk does this create?

Answer: Signal to the organization that lean is low priority, eroding team motivation and adoption

Executive absence from lean reviews signals low organizational commitment, which undermines team morale and reduces the likelihood of sustained adoption.

A lean practitioner is presenting a process improvement to a cross-functional team that includes finance, IT, and operations. How should the presentation be structured?

Answer: Use a common framework such as A3 or PDCA that frames the problem, current state, target, and plan in terms each function can understand

A structured framework like A3 or PDCA provides a shared language that helps diverse stakeholders understand and engage with the improvement narrative.

When creating a communication plan for a lean initiative, which element is most critical to define first?

Answer: The purpose of the communication and the specific needs of each stakeholder audience

Effective communication planning starts by defining what each stakeholder needs to know and why, which then drives decisions about channel, frequency, and format.

A lean value stream map reveals that a key stakeholder's department is creating a major bottleneck. How should this be communicated?

Answer: Present the VSM findings to the department stakeholder privately first, framing the bottleneck as a shared opportunity for improvement

Private, respectful disclosure preserves the relationship and frames the bottleneck as an improvement opportunity, increasing the stakeholder's willingness to engage.

Which lean concept directly supports transparent communication of problems across hierarchical levels?

Answer: Andon — a signal system that makes problems immediately visible to all levels so they can be addressed quickly

Andon enables anyone to stop the line and signal a problem, making issues transparent across all levels without fear of blame.

A lean improvement team receives conflicting feedback from two stakeholder groups with equal authority. What is the recommended approach?

Answer: Facilitate a joint session to surface the conflict, find common ground, and align on the solution that best serves the customer

Facilitating joint alignment ensures all voices are heard and grounds the decision in customer value rather than organizational politics.