LEADERSHIP PRESENCE: FLOOR WALKS GUIDE

WHAT & WHY

The floor walk is an effective Management Systems tool that allows for both learning and coaching to take place. The purpose of the floor walk is to go out to where the work is being done and explore with purpose; to find compelling evidence that everything is going right. The floor walk is the CHECK component of the PDCA (Plan/Do/Check/Act) cycle. The evidence gathered is based on what individuals in the area tell you and also what you as the Leader can SEE on the floor.

Different levels of leadership will look for different things:

  • SENIOR LEADER (Executive, Senior VP, VP): look for ideal behaviours that would let them know how their strategy is being interpreted.

  • DIRECTOR/MANAGER: look for ‘flow’ within their processes and systems (eg: checking for flow of information, flow of how assistance and improvement activities are moving, etc)

  • EMPLOYEES: look for waste within their work, and participate in opportunities for improvement.

  • AT EVERY LEVEL: floor walks are intended to ensure that we are executing as planned & getting the desired outcome.

WHERE

Go where the work is happening – the work area for the group you are going to observe.

WHEN

The frequency of a floor walk may also change depending on your level of leadership. If you are the frontline leader, you may be participating in floor walks on a daily basis. As a senior leader you will want a regular weekly or bi-weekly frequency to go on a structured floor walk.

Floor walks are an essential component of all leaders’ standard work and play a critical part in maintaining systems thinking and operational effectiveness throughout the organization.

WHO

You – the leader. This is not a task that can be delegated from any leader’s regular schedule.

HOW

The structure of a floor walk  involves going to the area where the work is happening and leveraging the PDCA cycle to structure a CHECK to make sure everyone on the floor is engaged and adding value.

PLAN: have a specific intention – decide in advance what you are looking for.

DO/CHECK: go and observe the area before you engage with employees. What do you notice / what are you curious about?  Interact with several employees for a few minutes each.

ACT: based on what you saw & heard, pick one gap to identify and close it. You will check on this gap next time you go on a floor walk.

Note: The more a team has developed and adopted standard work, the easier it will be for leaders to leverage the floor walk as an effective tool. As a leader, this may be a point to emphasize in your initial walks to the floor.

 

A floor walk helps ensure that everyone is adding value:

  • People have everything they need to do their job

  • People know right away when they do not have everything they need

  • The area understands exactly what they are trying to achieve & know right away when they do not achieve it.

Remember: You are looking for compelling evidence that everything is going right. You will only act in the absence of compelling evidence that everything is going right. Usually your action is simply to reduce ambiguity: if something is not clear, make it clear. This is the purpose of visual metrics/control.