If you ever hear people say something like “Lean doesn't work in healthcare,” you could point people to these videos that are at the top of this post (and in these blog posts and this YouTube playlist).
In the videos, you'll see staff and leaders talk bout “Kaizen” or continuous improvement. It's powerful to see the impact that a “culture of continuous improvement” has on people and their lives.
Kaizen is, of course, one of the two core pillars of the Toyota Way management system and its a key part of the Toyota Production System.
The applicability in healthcare shows that Lean and TPS are not about building cars… the methods and management mindsets are about people.
If these videos inspire you, we'd invite you to come visit Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indianapolis to learn more. The people and the stories featured in our Healthcare Kaizen books will be there to teach and guide you for your own continuous improvement efforts.
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.
Great video Mark, love the point that they think about things as helping patients not improving throughput