Following up my notes from Day 1, I’m sharing my notes from the second full day I attended on Wednesday, December 8 2010. Here, in the last day of the IHI National Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare, I saw…
Hat tip to regular blog reader Andrew B. for letting me know that A17 of today’s New York Times was a full page ad placed by Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center, one of the leading examples of the use of…
On weekends, I like to share videos or fun stuff that gets us thinking. Today, I’m sharing a video with the legendary Dr. Russell Ackoff where he’s speaking at a session moderated by Clare Crawford-Mason, the producer of the outstanding…
I’ve finally started reading the new book by Charles Kenney, Transforming Health Care: Virginia Mason Medical Center’s Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience, and I wanted to post a mini-review of the first three chapters. You can also buy (cheaper…
TL;DR (2026): This interview with Masaaki Imai still matters because it captures an early, unvarnished view of how “respect for people” was practiced–not idealized–by Taiichi Ohno and Toyota. It reminds today’s Lean leaders that respect doesn’t mean being soft or…
I’ve had the chance recently to re-watch some of The Deming Library DVDs, thanks to my friends at CC-M Productions (found at www.managementwisdom.com). I’m watching some of the videos for the first time. It’s always a joy for me to…
Norman Bodek discusses ideas from his book How to Do Kaizen, including why real innovation starts with empowering every employee to be a problem solver. He also tackles a great question: what should a leader do when an employee’s suggestion…
ThedaCare, the health system in Wisconsin, often gets a lot of attention for the Lean improvements in their four hospitals, but they are also doing some excellent work in redesigning primary and specialty care, as well (as highlighted in this…
This linked article (“Lean cuts Healthcare Costs at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle“) summarizes improvements and Lean methods at Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center and at the UK NHS Royal Bolton Trust hospital. Much of the VMMC story has been…
In this interview, Stephen Covey shares his perspective on Toyota’s “Respect for People” principle and why trust, empowerment, and leadership beyond command-and-control are essential to Lean success. Recorded at the Shingo Prize Conference, the conversation connects Covey’s ideas about the…
In an era where it was a “no brainer” to move factories to China, chasing cheap labor, the Lean world has often spoken out loudly against this. Back in the day, people said “Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM,”…
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.…
