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.
The price paid for most management consulting work is based on either a daily rate or some variation of a flat-rate fee based on what is being delivered. Enterprise software pricing is also often fixed. In both cases, the client…
tl;dr: “Accountability” in most organizations means blame — but real accountability starts with leaders fixing systems, not punishing individuals who can’t do the right thing because the system won’t let them. One of our topics, prompted by some feedback from…
TL;DR: At Toyota, the principle is closer to “respect for humanity” than “respect for people” — and that difference matters. It’s not a slogan or a soft value. It is one of two equally important pillars of the Toyota Production…
TL;DR: Many “Lean Six Sigma” programs misrepresent Lean as a set of tools layered onto Six Sigma. Lean is not a toolbox–it’s a management system and culture rooted in flow, quality, and respect for people. When Lean is reduced to…
TL;DR: In Lean problem solving, the hardest habit to break is jumping to solutions too early. Effective PDCA and A3 thinking require discipline in problem definition, understanding the current state, and resisting blame-driven shortcuts. Organizations that slow down to define…
You might also have seen the first video animation that I did last week about the waste of getting new recycling bins. I've created a new video that shows what a "bad office 5S" scene might look like... something that's "L.A.M.E." not Lean.
TL;DR: Time and motion studies haven’t been discredited–the Taylorist mindset behind them has. When used as an expert-driven tool to control workers or set quotas, they cause harm. When used the Lean way–by teaching people to study and improve their…
When an organization sets a target for the number of kaizen ideas employees should submit, it usually gets exactly what it asked for — a number. What it doesn’t get is genuine improvement. The ideas come in to hit the…
Regular readers might know that I’m working on a second book project, about “kaizen” (continuous improvement) in healthcare. Sign up to receive more info about the book, Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Improvements. I have a lot of…
This is going to seem like a political rant, but I promise this is mainly a post about Lean and healthcare, or at least it’s about dysfunctional parallels in both settings. It was said that President Ronald Reagan and Speaker…
Note: I edited the post title on April 3 to make it clear this was an April Fool’s Joke. Comments posted by readers on 4/1 and 4/2 may have been “fooled” – thanks for taking the joke in good spirits.…
Regular followers of my blog know that I’ve been creating audio podcasts since 2006. Later today (at 3 PM), I am publishing #86 in the series, an interview with David Sundahl, PhD of Rule 4 Consulting. I’ve made mistakes every…
