I have previously noted the harms of distraction, in more of a personal sense. This truth is similarly important in a workplace. Most people, including so-called supervisors, avoid any appearance of stillness, ending up distracted from many insights. Noticing a critical opportunity could easily double the productivity of a process. With a frequent process, one could quickly save thousands of hours of effort. A solution?
Ohno Circles:
Named after the famed Taiichi Ohno, Ohno Circles, drawn onto the ground in a workplace, force people to stay still and watch for opportunities for improvement. Formalizing the task pushes those obsessed with busyness to stop other distractions and observe. It also prevents others from pulling the observer back into the process, as they can clearly see the visual cue on the ground.
People rarely understand what others do, the challenges they face. Using the seven wastes can help cue people to notice certain issues, or they could be asked to track an aspect of the process. Keep measurement minimal, otherwise people will become so focused that they miss obvious information: