Here is a fun clip of Dr. Atul Gawande on Stephen Colbert’s Comedy Central show, talking about his book The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, now available in paperback. In his host schtick, Colbert asks Gawande why he…
Dan Pink joins me to discuss his book Drive and the science behind what actually motivates people — ideas deeply aligned with Lean thinking and Deming. We explore why “if-then” rewards backfire for complex work, the dysfunctions of incentive schemes…
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…
Hospital acquired infections continue to be a big problem, one that’s often unsolved except for instances like Dr. Rick Shannon’s work at West Penn-Allegheny and UPenn and the “checklists” approach used at a number of hospitals around the world. One…
Here’s a great essay from Tom Peters, a chapter from his book The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE. The email that was forwarded to me with this content said, “Sharing is permitted,” so if you like this…
Here are a few events I’ll be a part of in the next few months, maybe I’ll see you there: Cindy Jimmerson’s “Big Sky” Lean Leadership Retreat, Sept 20-22 Michigan Lean Consortium’s Lean Healthcare Event, Sept 28 LEI “Key Concepts…
I received an email from a reader that I’m sharing and commenting on with permission. “Dear Mark: I am a lean coordinator for a manufacturing company and it was a real shock to see some of the waste during a…
First off, there’s nothing about “Lean” per se in this linked article from Quality Digest: “New York Pediatric ICU Ward Off Central-Line Infections for Entire Year“. That said, there are elements that are very similar to both Lean and the…
Mark’s Note: Here’s part 4 of a series by our guest blogger, Andy Wagner. Start reading with Part 1 here. “What lies behind us and what lies in front of us pales in comparison to what lies within us.” —…
If you’re a regular reader of my Lean Blog, you might know more about preventing Hospital Acquired Infections than many healthcare CEOs do, says a report in the Washington Post: “Hospital infection deaths caused by ignorance and neglect, survey finds.”…
TL;DR: The New York Times showed that Lean healthcare isn’t about “factory medicine,” but about removing waste so clinicians can focus on patients. When grounded in respect for people and strong leadership, Lean improves quality, access, and cost–while misapplied versions…
Mark’s Note: Here’s part 3 of a series by our guest blogger, Andy Wagner – a series that started here. Many of us work in an environment that our host, Mark Graban, would characterize as “non-Deming”: LAME more often than…
