Monthly Archives: September 2013

There’s Only One Acceptable Answer to “Are You Busy?”

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In some  "Kaizen Kickoff" coaching that I've been doing recently, I've been spending time with managers and other leaders as they interact with...

Lean Healthcare Discussed on Cincinnati Local TV News

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I've partnered up with the Ohio-based non-profit consulting group, TechSolve, over the past few years in some of their Lean healthcare promotions efforts, recently...

Joe Swartz Discusses Healthcare Kaizen and a Culture of Continuous Improvement in Hospitals

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Joining me for episode #187 is Joe Swartz, my friend and esteemed co-author of our books Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous...

From Vague to Passive to Active in Your Voice and Improvement Work

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While I'd be the first to admit that my writing is not perfect and I certainly need a copy editor for my books, I...

Guest Post: How Standardized Does a Kaizen Process Need to Be?

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Mark's Note: Today's post is by a colleague from The Netherlands, Erwin Haas. Erwin is a leader in a Dutch consulting firm, NextChange, a...

The Evolution of ‘Lean Production’: Reflecting on 25 Years Since the Term Was Coined

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tl;dr: In this post, Mark reflects on the 25th anniversary of the term "Lean Production," delving into the original article that coined it. He...

Eiji Toyoda, Credited with Developing TPS and Expanding Toyota into North America, Passes Away...

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Eiji Toyoda, a key figure in the growth and expansion of Toyota and the Toyota Production System practices has passed away this week, just...

Podcast #186 – Jon Miller Discusses His Book Creating a Kaizen Culture, Engaging Everybody...

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My guest for episode #186 is my friend Jon Miller, CEO of Kaizen Institute and a long-time blogger at Gemba Panta Rei. Today, we're...

Guest Post: The Ultimate Lean Thinker’s Phone – the iPhone “5S”

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Hi, this is Dr. Les Muda, the world's first (and only) Lean healthcare comedian, taking over Mark's blog today for a guest post about...

Lean & the “Work-Out” Process in Healthcare – Success, My Questions, and Your Experiences

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In the past few years, I've heard of the "Work-Out" process that has origins at GE. This consultant's website gives a good overview and...

Applying Kaizen to the Kaizen Process

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When I teach and coach people on the "Kaizen" style of continuous improvement, I emphasize that what I'm teaching them isn't perfect and it's...

Guest Post: Believe in Yourself and Your Business

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Mark's note: Today's guest post is by Gert Linthout, from Belgium. Gert and I were part of the same Lean healthcare study trip to...