The world is celebrating International Yoga Day today and promoting the integration of global health, harmony and peace in the society. Yoga has proved to have substantial effects on an individual’s mental, physical and spiritual health.

LEAN practices are also a proven and healthy methodology to improve the health of a manufacturing facility and consequently improve the work culture and relative aspects of an organization. It might not be wrong to say that lean practices in today’s corporate world are equivalent to yoga for an individual.

LEAN and Yoga are quite similar to each other in their own manner and are very relevant to each other. Various benefits of the yoga for the industrial world are as follows –

• Improves flexibility

  – As yoga is effective in increasing the flexibility of an individual, lean practices are known for improving the flexibility of an organization. The improved flexibility of an organization helps it in adapting to change more easily and implementing change management plans in a more effective and enhanced manner. Moreover, flexibility promotes innovation and speed and improves the coordination process.

• Enhances the overall structure –

  As yoga helps to enhance overall structure of the human body lean influences the overall working of an organization and how it runs. Lean practices are known to optimize the overall structure of the organization and efficiently implement the strategic changes. The structure of an organization also defines its overall goals, purpose, strategy or mission of an organization. Hence, an improvement in the structure will largely influence these factors as well.

• Prevents breakdown –

  Yoga takes your joints through their full range of motion. So regular yoga prevents cartilage and joints break down. Similarly, breakdowns, be it machinery or communication are one of the most hated timeframes in any organization. Organizations that are prone to breakdowns twice a year are likely to have a loss of around 15% in their annual business. Hence, it is very important for an organization to control these breakdowns and minimize their damage. Lean practices help the organizations in putting up a framework for the work processes as well as for the controls that pivot the working of the machinery and manpower on the floor with a detailed schedule of check-ups, feedbacks and others to ensure a smooth and continuous run of the organization.

• Improves blood (communication) flow –

  Yoga helps to increase blood flow. All the relaxation exercises that are done in yoga helps to get more oxygen to cells as well as improves blood circulation. Communication flow in an organization is equivalent to blood flow in an individual. It is very important that the message conveyed from one department reaches the receiver in the precise and intact situation without the interference of any noise. A bad communication in any organization will not only create chaos but will also put the entire working of the facility in a tender and lament situation.

• Improves quality –

  Yoga helps to improve the quality of life thus making us physically stronger and mentally peaceful. Quality defines the path any organization will run on. A better quality product and service attracts customers as well helps the organization in retaining the customers. Lean helps the organizations in removing the waste from the facilities and establishes quality controls for a better end product. Moreover, lean also helps in creating a better quality work and the operating environment by ingraining green practices in the work culture. It also promotes safety across all departments thus making the work processes immune to any mishaps.

• Improves balance –

  Yoga helps to improve the balance physically, mentally as well as spiritually. Similarly, balance is the key factor that helps anyone in achieving the desired goals and objectives. Lean is a proven tool that helps the leadership in attaining a balanced and a more substantial equation with the middle and lower management of the organization. The systems controlling the work processes on the floor is also brought on a leveled floor with the implementation of lean practices. It also helps in keeping biases away and puts forth a systematic and potentially more opportune environment for everyone.

• Increases strength – makes you more competent –

  Everyone in this world wants to be competent and have more strength than the others. It is not a hidden fact that competency helps in keeping them in the race and probably beat everyone at the finish line. Lean practices make an organization more competitive and help them in building a strong rapport with themselves in the market. It ultimately helps one in becoming the shark in the ocean!

LEAN practices are an efficient way to remove toxicity from the work culture of an organization and ingrain efficiency and better productivity. The basic concepts of yoga and lean are same and with their ultimate objective being integrating freshness and health in an individual or organization. This International Yoga Day, let’s take a step in ingraining yoga in our work culture as well and move ahead in achieving health and prosperity in our professional as well as personal lives.

Stay Fit!
Written & Compiled By Faber Kishlay & Faber Mayuri