TRANSCRIPT: Obama’s Inaugural Address: I guess this is a “mashup” of sorts… between Dr. W. Edwards Deming and President Obama… The President said yesterday, in his inauguration speech: “We will … wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and…
Steve Spear spent six months embedded with a Toyota team as a doctoral student, learning the Toyota Production System by teaching it to a supplier in Kentucky. In this episode, he explains what he calls “high velocity” organizations — companies…
I’m getting some really interesting and constructive comments in my reader survey. Keep it coming. I’ll reflect, summarize, and respond to it here on the blog or personally via email. Thanks to those who have taken the time. One comment…
My guest for LeanBlog Podcast #57 is Alfie Kohn, an author and lecturer in the fields of education, parenting, and human behavior. His books include Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes…
We recently released Issue 14 of Lean Progress and it included a brief set of tips on how to apply 5S on email. There is perhaps much more that could be written, but most people are so overwhelmed by the…
Q&A Nov/Dec 2008 – Trimming the Fat I was featured in Healthcare Construction + Operations News in a recent issue where we talked about my book and Lean in healthcare. You can read the whole thing for free, here is…
I am amazed that as long as we’ve talked about 5S, it still gives companies fits and trouble. Many companies start with 5S because it’s simple. It may be simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. This isn’t a tool…
John Shook — one of the first Americans to work deeply within Toyota — explains why the A3 is far more than a template. It’s a management process for solving problems, developing people, and leading organizational change. Episode #56 of…
Article – NYTimes.com Marketwatch.com article Breaking news (but not entirely unexpected if you’ve been following the news in the last week): Toyota Motor, the Japanese auto giant, announced Monday that it expected the first loss in 70 years in its…
Following up on Part 1 of the survey results, we’ll now explore some of the results and lessons learned from event-driven Lean activities in hospitals and health systems (done under names such as Kaizen Events, Rapid Process Improvement Workshops, and…
Some Firms Cut Costs Without Resorting to Layoffs – WSJ.com Here’s a follow up to my recent post on layoffs (or not to layoff). There was a lot of good discussion and I’ll amplify my point that it’s got to…
It seems like all we’re hearing now is layoffs, layoffs, layoffs. This article reports that Danaher, considered by many to be the best Lean company outside of Toyota (with its famed Danaher Business System), is laying off employees. Danaher Corp (DHR,…
