NWLEAN : Message: Why does Lean struggle to take hold in the U.S.? I’m a member of the Yahoo Group called NWLEAN, where there’s often some good discussion about Lean. The question was posed: “Why does Lean struggle to take…
The Lean Blog is turning into a family affair… my dad, Bob, comments once in a while and now my mom, an elementary school teacher, is feeding me blog material. From an education newsletter she received (I can’t find a…
As if explaining Lean to people at hospitals doesn’t stretch my brain enough, I sometimes find it’s a fun (or at least helpful) challenge to explain what it is I do to folks who’ve had no exposure to it (like…
“Help Wanted” highlights skills drain in U.S – Yahoo! News Here’s an interesting story about the shortage of machinists: While millions of jobs making everything from textiles to steel have moved to new powerhouses like China in recent years, precision…
Jay Parkinson, MD. A doctor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Manhattan HIStalk Interviews Jay Parkinson MD MPH, House Call Doctor Posts will be pretty sparse and short the next few days, as I’ll be in New York City through Sunday, busy…
Starbucks Gossip: Howard Schultz apparently hasn’t put the brakes on warm sandwiches Following up on last week’s post on Starbucks operations, I found an example of “gaming the numbers” in a different post. “Gaming the numbers” is a common phenomenon…
Jeffrey Liker’s new book on Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way is out. I’m getting a copy on Tuesday and hope to post a review ASAP. If anyone else is reading it, feel free to share…
Starbucks Gossip Blog – Open Thread Starbucks Replaces CEO with Chairman I’ve posted about Starbucks before – I believe they have people at headquarters learning about and starting with Lean, but I don’t know any details (any Starbucks employees reading…
Just an update for those who were following the progress of my book on “Lean Hospitals.” It’s done! I have submitted the manuscript to the publisher (Productivity Press, a division of Taylor & Francis). UPDATE (7/9/08): The book is due…
Updated: Changed the title to better reflect what the comments have turned into — general ideas for improving the blog. Thanks for your feedback! Reader feedback time — I just changed this back so comments (reading and entering) are done…
A Lifesaving Checklist – New York Times A number of you have emailed me, yes I’m aware of this horrible, ridiculous development that followed earlier reports of the success hospitals were having in reducing infections and improving patient care through…
Put Buyers First? What a Concept – New York Times I’m a huge fan of Amazon (AMZN), having first ordered a “required pre-reading” book from them in March 1997, before I went to grad school. I’ve hardly had anything go…
