Happy New Year to my blog readers! Do you have any “lean resolutions” for the year 2010? Feel free to share them, if you like, in the comments section for this post. Here were some resolutions from two years ago,…
I’m in Tempe, Arizona, about to go enjoy a tasty “Double Double Animal Style” at In-N-Out burger. I really miss the chain after moving a few years ago from Arizona to Texas, as they have no locations outside of driving…
What can lean leaders learn from employee communication professionals? Try these five tips. They’re based on a recent leadership communications study of employee communication professionals, which was sponsored by two high-tech companies and conducted by Liz Guthridge, The LEAN Communicator(tm)…
My blogging will be relatively light this week, given some holiday time off, family visiting, and a short trip for New Year’s. There’s nothing lazier, I guess, than linking to a reader comment, but I had a new comment from…
Article Link: Lexington hospitals building to be the best This article talks about the lean efforts of some hospitals in Lexington, KY – about 30 minutes away from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK), the Georgetown plant. Is this an advantage…
Here is a little fun holiday cheer from some of the Lean Blogosphere: Ron, Jamie, Pete, Kevin and myself. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Warning annoying music and cheesy video to follow, if you click play…
Obama Awards Budget-Minded Federal Employee I saw this in the news yesterday about a federal employee from the VA, Nancy Fichtner, a clerk at the Grand Junction Veterans Medical Center. President Obama awarded her the “SAVE award,” which stands for…
Article Link: “Shorter hospital stays through better coordination” Is Lean a global phenomenon, or what? Here is a story from a Korean news website (in English) about a German consulting firm that’s an offshoot of a manufacturer (Porsche) helping hospitals…
U.S. industry going lean to compete with China | Reuters Yesterday, I recorded a podcast with Jim D’Addario, CEO of the namesake multi-generational family company that was featured recently on CNN. I’ll release that podcast in a few weeks. We…
Laboratory Equipment – Easy Lean Lab Exercises When I see “Easy Lean” or, as I also saw recently in a consultant’s promotion, “Instant Lean,” I take notice and cringe. “Easy Lean” and “Instant Lean” don’t exist. Sorry. Lean seems simple…
TL;DR: Sending nurses and other hospital staff home early when census dips may reduce short-term labor costs, but it undermines continuous improvement, morale, and patient flow. Lean organizations invest downtime in learning and improvement–because respect for people and better systems…
Paul Levy on Transparency, Social Media, and Quality Following up and continuing this morning’s post about MemorialCare. You can also read my notes and comments from Day 1 here. You probably know Paul as CEO, blogger, and twitter user. I’ve…
