Here's the latest installment of “Key Tweets,” a post that summarizes some of my tweets (or retweets) from the week. Follow me @MarkGraban and join the fun and the conversation. See the previous installments of Key Tweets here.
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11 Common Myths About #ContinuousImprovement http://t.co/5XPgYW3yrA pic.twitter.com/mfzLdYPSDO
— KaiNexus (@KaiNexus) August 31, 2015
Dr. #Deming, observing from his hospital bed in 1987. So insightful about the waste & overburden (still there) pic.twitter.com/B3gAWClxUW
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 2, 2015
Dr. #Deming was right, in 1987 after his hospital stay, that only the hospital CEO can really change the system pic.twitter.com/4PYui0vXOg
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 3, 2015
Talking & even asking why 5 times doesn't prove what root cause is. You have to test a countermeasure & see the effect. #lean #leanstartup
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 1, 2015
Some say "all you have to do is ask 5 whys." 1st, you need to properly define & clarify the problem. 3rd, you have to test countermeasures
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 1, 2015
When I see 404 unread emails and think "Oh, Yahoo Mail is down with a 404 error." pic.twitter.com/0fqK38NWYn
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 3, 2015
#Deming said: "you need to put all of your effort into changing the minds and methods of your company leaders." http://t.co/CGB4drFOiJ
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) August 31, 2015
Physician Engagement – Who Should Fix Our Broken Processes? http://t.co/MIcJ36A12R by @PaulDeChantMD #Lean
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) August 31, 2015
"#Lean is a tool set, a management system, and a philosophy that can change the way hospitals are organized and managed." via @leanhospitals
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) August 31, 2015
#VA — "staff feel less comfortable reporting adverse events than they did previously." http://t.co/Kod4GpLq6p #patientsafety
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) August 31, 2015
Start with why. Inspire, don't manipulate. #change #lean pic.twitter.com/NNYjWDlT8C
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 3, 2015
Summary of a Simon Sinek idea… Very similar to #kaizen approach and #lean pic.twitter.com/hm8b1kSpHr
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 3, 2015
"We always start our green belt projects with 5S." Why *always*? That's dogmatic. Ohno said, "start from need." Still good advice. #lean
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 1, 2015
Visual management: Proper waking direction… Confirmed. If not, coaching required. #lean pic.twitter.com/XIfOk63tdC
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 3, 2015
Ask person in a mature #kaizen culture: How much time do you spend on improvement? "I dunno." A fish doesn't know it's in water… #Lean
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 1, 2015
Smithsonian Channel show: "Before the aviation industry could become profitable, it had to become safe." Thoughts, healthcare?
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 2, 2015
No big deal compared to Google & Verizon, but my blog has a tweaked logo. I didn't spend $$$ on it though. pic.twitter.com/qKwTlG9aiG
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 3, 2015
Do you commit any of these 8 errors in your #Lean transformation or other big #change initiative? pic.twitter.com/fj020vC0xt
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 4, 2015
Revolving door – Sask. leaders get #lean training, then go work for the consulting firm that trained them http://t.co/nYn6Zzn9Uv
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 4, 2015
100 Most Influential People in Healthcare http://t.co/VKio70COoo Including @Bob_Wachter @leahbinder & Gary Kaplan of @VirginiaMason
— Mark Graban (@MarkGraban) September 4, 2015
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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. His latest book is Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. He also published 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.
Your definition of Lean caught my eye: “Lean is a tool set, a management system, and a philosophy that can change the way hospitals are organized and managed.”
I study Lean, think about Lean, practice Lean, and write about Lean. But I feel awkward when someone asks “What do you do?” or “What is Lean?” and sense a one sentence response is appropriate.
My common response for the Lean question: Lean arguably the best approach we know about for improving how an organization delivers value to its customers.
I figure if they’re interested in understanding what this means, they’ll start a conversation. Otherwise the conversation moves on. Still, I feel a bit academic sounding with this reply.
So what is your favorite one sentence response?
It’s tough to summarize what we do or what Lean is, in a nutshell.
When chatting with somebody at a reception or party, I usually define what I do in terms of goals: “I work with hospitals to improve quality and processes.”
A longer version is “I work with hospitals to improve the quality of care and patient safety, reduce waiting times, reduce costs, and create better workplaces.”
Lean, if they probe, is a means to those ends.