There's a funny cartoon over at ONEFTE.com about suggestions and employee ideas. The post is titled “Where good ideas go to die.” One time in a hospital, a heard a team member say that about their suggestion box.
The cartoon helps illustrate why Kaizen has to be a non-bureaucratic approach to improvement. Kaizen is not the suggestion box. Kaizen is focused on people taking action on their own ideas, not running an idea up the flagpole for a slow, distant approval by a committee. Our upcoming Healthcare Kaizen book covers all of this and more. This video from MD Anderson discusses their Kaizen process.
On Saturdays, I like to post a video or a cartoon that takes a lighter look at Lean and related concepts. Check out those posts here.
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Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. His most recent book is the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus. His latest book has been released as an "in-progress" book, titled Measures of Success.