In recent years, hospitals have begun to adapt “Lean” principles in their operations. “Lean” is a set of management practices made famous by Toyota. Very simply, there are two parts to running a Lean operation: part #1) eliminate waste and activity that does not add value, and part #2) have respect for people.
Hospitals applying Lean concepts to their daily operations have saved millions in operating costs. By showing respect for their people (part #2), a Newton area hospital has been recognized for cutting costs after a series of staff suggestions helped save the facility $1.7 million over the past year (part #1). A noted Lean practitioner/researcher has proven that a company saves $4,000 per employee based on staff suggestions.
The word ‘hospitality’ finds its roots from ‘hospital’, where care is given to the needy. Running a hospital and a hotel/restaurant/cruise/spa are actually quite similar; the essence of staff providing care to people is the same for guests or patients. The article cites an example where surgeons and operating room staff reviewing the supplies routinely kept on hand found they were wasting several thousand dollars with redundant items. At any hotel front desk, one would find different types of printer cartridges; last minute sundries purchased with petty cash; superfluous or outdated copies of bills, maps, bus routes, or restaurant menus; etc. Obviously, streamlining the purchase and tracking of these materials could save money and time.
What about the guest experience? As a patient, how many times have you had to fill out fifty forms before seeing the doctor, only to have to fill them out again for the insurance folks, and then again the next time you come back for a check-up. Staff at a Lean hospitality actually created a database so that recurring patients would not have to go through the annoying processes again. Similarly, a cruise line captain recently realized that it was pointless for guests to put on their lifejackets to the safety drill, only to be taught how to put it on after somehow figuring out how to do so already. These are all small examples that, together, can contribute to not only less wasteful operating efficiencies, but also a more value-added and simpler guest experience.
Read the lean.org article here.
