Greetings! I'm off to Japan today and next week is my third “Lean Healthcare Study Trip” in the country. As I asked in 2012, what questions would you want me to ask or try to get answered while I'm there? Please post a comment at the bottom of this post.
Since I have to moderate comments to prevent spam and my time zone will be about 12 hours off from my readers in the U.S. (which is about 70% of blog traffic and most of the comments), I won't be publishing many blog posts until my return on March 5th.
I might blog from Japan. I will definitely be sharing highlights and some photos on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram along the way. I'll quite certainly be sharing blog posts about the trip when I return.
You can read posts about my first two trips:
Andon Cords at the Toyota Takaota Plant – It Doesn't Come Naturally?
Standardized Work: “Unity in the Essential, Liberty in the Non-Essential…”
A Japanese Hospital CEO on Kaizen, Innovation & Breakthrough
Japan Tour Reflections: Taking Home Lean Artifacts or Lean Thinking?
Japan Trip: Going to Gemba and Seeing 5S at a Japanese Hospital
“Quality Circles” Are Alive & Well in Japanese Organizations; We Might Call it A3 Problem Solving
The Kaizen Approach to Getting Others Comfortable with Sushi
5S: The Good, the Bad, and the Extreme in Japanese Hospitals
More to come!
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.