Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker, and podcaster with experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups.
Mark's latest book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, a recipient of the Shingo Publication Award.
He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean, previous Shingo recipients.
Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.
Psychological Safety in Lean: What Toyota Gets Right–and Why It Matters
One of the most powerful--but often overlooked--lessons from Toyota's management system isn't just about kanban, standard work, or andons. It's about people. More specifically,...
What If Process Behavior Charts Had Been Widely Adopted Before Lean?
In May 2024, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Walter A. Shewhart's creation of the first control chart--a landmark that laid the foundation for...
Mark Reich, Former Toyota Leader on Hoshin Kanri and ‘Managing on...
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My guest for Episode #528 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mark Reich, a Senior...
Two Kinds of Mistakes–and the Wisdom of Shewhart, 100 Years Later
Recently, I saw someone reference a chapter from Dr. W. Edwards Deming's book Out of the Crisis on LinkedIn--Chapter 11, titled "Common Causes and...
Breaking Through Cultural Friction: A Webinar on Respect for People and...
When organizations struggle to sustain Lean transformation, people often look first at tools, training, or tactics. But more often than not, the real obstacle...
Kaiteki: The Japanese Philosophy Behind Motivated Employees and Lean Success
During my most recent visit to Japan (as part of a tour hosted by Katie Anderson), we spent time in several remarkable organizations where...
Are Japanese Hospitals More Lean? What Global Healthcare Leaders Can Learn...
TL;DR: While some Japanese hospitals excel at Lean, many face the same cultural and systemic barriers seen elsewhere. Visiting Japan isn't about finding a...
Lean Isn’t About Cutting Heads–It’s About Growing People and Cultures of...
One of the most important, and most misunderstood, principles in Lean thinking is this:
Lean is not a cost-cutting strategy. Lean is a people-development strategy.
If...
Why Red Isn’t Always Bad (or Useful): Rethinking Metrics, Mindsets, and...
Red is a color that grabs attention--and in many workplaces, it sparks fear. It's the color of missed targets, late projects, and angry charts...
Go and See to Learn: Why Catalysis Healthcare Site Visits Still...
Years ago (going back to 2009), I was fortunate to play a role in something special: the healthcare site visit program run by Catalysis....
Lean in Japan Works–But Not Because They’re Japanese
Why Lean Thinking Succeeds in Japan--Not Because of Culture, But Because of Intentional Leadership and Systems
One of the most persistent myths I've encountered over...
Memorial Day – A Day of Remembrance
Originally posted a few years ago, I'm reposting this for the holiday here in the U.S.
