Norman Bodek is once again back for episode #47 of the LeanBlog Podcast. Today, he shares insights from his 68th study trip to Japan. Norman reflects on decades of visiting Toyota and contrasts what he saw there with Canon’s groundbreaking…
TL;DR: Toyota’s leadership philosophy isn’t about control — it’s about confirming processes, supporting people, and solving problems without blame. This quote from The Toyota Way 2001 shows how “thoughtful leaders” build quality and psychological safety into the system. A Powerful…
The Open Secret of Success: Financial Page: The New Yorker I’m not normally a reader of The New Yorker, but I thank Norman Bodek for pointing this out as we recorded a new podcast episode (to be released in a…
Guest Post By Mike Thelen: New Offense Leads Calipari, Memphis Within One Win of National Championship Great article on the Memphis basketball team. Do you see the same Lean structure I see? By nature, coaching is a business of copycats.…
The OODA Loop & You I love examples of lean thinking that come from unexpected angles. Mike Gardner at the TPM Log recently brought up one of my favorite figures from the world of folks who embody lean without knowing…
Jeffrey Liker explains why Toyota’s success is rooted in culture, leadership, and deep respect for people–not Lean tools. This episode explores the human systems behind the Toyota Way and why real Lean transformation takes years, not days. Here is LeanBlog…
Breaking: Deming Endorses Obama – IndustryWeek Forums A few people have emailed me about this and it’s easier for me to comment here than it is to register for the IW forums. An interesting idea is posed by Brad Kenney:…
I’ve read the first chapter of Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way. I’m obviously not going to get through the whole thing before my podcast interview with Jeff Liker tomorrow. If you have questions for the…
Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of the series of posts about my visit to Dr. Sami Bahri, the “World’s First Lean Dentist.” In Part 2, I talked about how the Lean “tool heads” might be disappointed, and…
American LED-gible, Inc. American LED-gible (www.ledgible.com) manufactures many products that would be suitable for Lean environments, such as andon boards, counters, timers, and other electronic displays. They have extended their sponsorship of the Lean Blog, so many thanks! Please check…
Here is a photo of me and Dr. Sami Bahri, the World’s First Lean Dentist. I spent the afternoon at his office, observing their “gemba”, talking with him and with his staff. What an incredible afternoon. I still need to…
Patient Safety Blog – Telling Our Stories Here is an unfortunate story about a surgeon operating on the wrong side of an 86 year-old man, who died sooner after. There’s no clear cause-and-effect between that error and death: The surgeon…
