Lean is Not Just Process Improvement
In my travels, I often meet people or visit organizations that say something like: "We're doing Lean... we just…
But Pigs and Corn Aren’t Cars! #Lean in Farming
I don't know anything about farming. The only time I spend on "farms" is visits to wineries that grow…
Lean People Don’t Say Things Like “Idiot Proofing”
I've long been skeptical of so-called "Lean Sigma" or "Lean Six Sigma." And not because I'm against Six Sigma…
Deming (Past) and Toyota (Today) Recognize Employees Are Unique Individuals
I'm always happy to hear current-day Toyota leaders (like Jamie Bonini) or recent Toyota leaders (like Gary…
“The New Lean Hospitals Are Here!”
Yesterday was an exciting day for me, professionally and personally, as I received my first copies of the 3rd…
#Lean: The Toyota Production System is Mainly About the Philosophy
There's a triangle diagram on the TSSC webpage that describes an "integrated system" that consists of: technical…
“Practicing Lean:” Starting Out with Six Sigma
Today's post is an excerpt from the collaborative ebook project Practicing Lean. I wrote the first two chapters of…
Using Lean to Organize Hospital Closets… NPR Commenters Are Not Impressed
I saw this story when it originally appeared online as part of a local public radio station in California. It was…
Webinar Previews: Lean is All About People? Leadership Behaviors for Kaizen
Tomorrow afternoon, I'm doing two different webinars that I hope you'll want to sign up for.
Even if you…
A Sad Story About “Lean” That Wasn’t Really Lean Management At…
In March, I wrote a post titled "Is it Lean's Fault or the Old Management System's?" about how people's…
Video: Toyota Helps a NYC Food Bank & Hurricane Sandy Victims
Here's a video produced about some work that Toyota's TSSC did for a New York City food bank, applying…
Toyota touts ongoing "waste removal"
Mlive.com ArticleHere's an article with Toyota (and former Chrysler) exec Jamie Bonini talking about continuous…
What Blog Post Would an AI Bot Write About Lean in Healthcare?
There's a new "AI copy writing tool" that I read about called copy.ai. I decided to play around with a free trial…
Lean, Leadership, and Employee Engagement at Whirlpool
I recently read this article on the IndustryWeek website:
Whirlpool's Green Takes Aim at World Class…
Adventures in #Lean Healthcare Hiring, Part 2
I recently blogged about a healthcare improvement job posting that had me scratching my head when the interviewing…
The Scripps Health CEO is Right About No-Layoffs Policies
In manufacturing, the term Lean has far too often been synonymous with layoffs. Doing so is more L.A.M.E. than…
#ThrowbackThursday: #Lean Manufacturing Training from 2002
It's time for another "Throwback Thursday" post, which is, as always, accompanied by one of my thoughtful-looking…
#Lean Healthcare: The Really Good, the Sort of Bad, and the Ugly
I had a speaking engagement yesterday for a large system, with the audience consisting mainly of hospital CEOs and…