‘Employees who love what they do, will get the best results’ TEXT: MICHIEL STOL | PHOTOS: 12MPROVE
As a company, it is natural to want to add value for your customers. In doing so, you are always looking for ways to improve your results. One method for achieving this is to improve your employees - helping them work more efficiently and developing lean thinking, knowledge and practical skills in the workplace. “Employees who love what they do, will get the best results,” says Remco Rovers, Lean Master Black Belt and founder of 12Mprove, an organisation renowned for its impactful training sessions. Lean thinking is a way to shape your business processes in such a way that it will not only benefit your customers, 40 | Issue 69 | September 2019
but also your staff. “On the one hand, it is about creating customer value by reducing ‘wasted time’. Rethinking existing processes, that often frustrate staff members, to make them more efficient. This will take those frustrations away, therefore helping to make your employee’s job enjoyable again,” explains Rovers.
first gave training sessions at a sourcing company. They made a real impact, and from there on, the ball kept rolling.” In 2015, Robert Zaaijer joined the partner team of 12Mprove and together, they focused on the further growth of the company. In 2018, Frank stepped back from the board.
Rovers was first introduced to lean thinking while working at a large energy company in the Netherlands. “I was immediately sold on the philosophy of it; putting people first, to get better results. I immersed myself in it and soon found a colleague who felt the same,” he reminisces. That was Frank Bossema, and together in 2013, they founded 12Mprove. “We
Today, 12Mprove - which is fully accredited by the Lean Competency System (LCS) of Cardiff University - gives training to staff and management, from organisations ranging from major companies to municipalities. Over the years, they have trained over 2,500 people. “Seeing our training sessions have such a positive effect on employees is tremendous.