This curated archive highlights some of the most-read, most-cited, and most-discussed articles from LeanBlog.org. These posts reflect real-world lessons on Lean thinking, leadership, psychological safety, metrics, and continuous improvement—drawn from healthcare, manufacturing, startups, and service organizations.
Rather than promoting tools for their own sake, these articles focus on systems thinking, respect for people, and learning from mistakes. Topics include Lean leadership, problem solving, metrics that drive the wrong behavior, psychological safety at work, healthcare improvement, Toyota Production System principles, and common myths that hold organizations back.
If you’re new to Lean, this collection offers a grounded starting point. If you’re experienced, these articles revisit core ideas with nuance, evidence, and practical examples that still matter today.
I’ve been studying and working with Lean for 20 years now and I love Lean because I’m still learning and getting better at this craft. I love seeing other people get excited about Lean when it’s new to them, when…
tl;dr: A sushi company’s safety and quality policy illustrates what hospital operational excellence really requires: visible leadership commitment, daily practice, and systems that make safety the default–not a slogan. I love the Texas-based grocery store chain “Central Market.” It’s basically…
tl;dr: The blog examines the pitfalls of poorly executed Lean methodologies, using an analogy of a cheeseburger to discuss unhealthy implementations. It argues for a nuanced approach to Lean, acknowledging its limitations and ‘horror stories’ in order to effectively achieve…
tl;dr: In many organizations, “accountability” is code for blame and punishment. Lean leadership redefines accountability as improving systems, clarifying expectations, and helping people succeed rather than singling them out for failure. “Accountability” is a word that’s easy to throw around…
TL;DR: Strategy deployment works best when leaders treat it as a series of testable hypotheses–not a fixed plan to execute at all costs. Using a PDSA mindset helps organizations focus on a few true-north priorities, learn from results, and adjust…
tl;dr: Red-green charts push leaders to react to every up and down, turning normal variation into false drama. Process Behavior Charts provide the context needed to see signal vs. noise–so leaders improve the system instead of chasing each data point.…
Last week, I published my first cartoon collaboration with a skilled artist (and medical assistant), Carrie Schurman. You might call that cartoon “Strategy Dog-ployment.” None of us expect this to be a weekly thing, but sometimes you strike when inspiration hits.…
As I wrote about in Healthcare Kaizen, one of my favorite Lean transformation stories is the realization of an experienced medical technologist, John, that Lean leadership was about being “a coach, not a cop.” He had repeatedly said “no” to…
If you know me, you know I’m a huge fan of The Simpsons. The show has been on TV for 25 of my 40 years. The cable channel FXX is having an “Every Simpsons Ever” marathon, showing all 552 episodes…
There are certainly many serious problems in healthcare. Let’s look at nursing, in particular. It’s a rewarding job, but it’s far more frustrating for nurses than it needs to be. Nurses often don’t have enough time in the day (or…
I’ve had some cartoons on the blog before, including a few “Doofus & Leanies.” I can’t draw at all, believe me (although I sometimes do my own simple digital graphics). I’ve been fortunate to partner up with other artists before…
In our Healthcare Kaizen books, Joe Swartz and I have tried to make the case that the Kaizen style of continuous improvement isn’t just a nice way to treat employees… it’s smart business and it’s good for patients. It’s a practical…
