SignOnSanDiego.com > News > World — Russia probes claims medics tied toddlers to beds I hope nobody finds this to be too insensitive of an example… it’s obviously not good what happened to these toddlers. But, I think it’s instructive…
Global shipping must curb ‘unchecked’ pollution: study – Yahoo! News Here’s yet another reason to consider keeping production close to your customers and using Lean production methods: the environment. Ocean-going vessels now belch out more of the major air pollutant…
TL;DR: Many so-called “Lean failures” aren’t really Lean at all. They’re examples of L.A.M.E.–Lean As Misguidedly Executed, where organizations misuse Lean to justify understaffing, layoffs, bureaucracy, or demeaning management practices. Real Lean, rooted in the Toyota Production System, focuses on…
Some of you might have read my “ChangeThis” manifesto, “How Toyota Can Save Your Life… At The Hospital.” I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from lean professionals, healthcare professionals (including an MD), and lean healthcare professionals. Thanks for that,…
In the past, I’ve referenced a story I had heard about a GM plant in 1980’s where the “completed” vehicles went to one of two areas: “minor repair” or “major repair”, the implications being that the factory relied on inspection…
Investor’s Business Daily: He Pointed Firms To Quality For those of you not familiar with W. Edwards Deming, here is a nice overview article from a newspaper. Dr. Deming passed away well over a decade ago, but it’s nice to…
In this 2007 interview, Jim Womack reflects on The Machine That Changed the World and how its lessons on Lean and Toyota’s system are still misunderstood. Episode #19 of the Lean Blog Podcast brings the return of Jim Womack. Jim…
For some context, here are my complaints about UPS ads from earlier today and from last year. Thanks to the “create your own whiteboard” feature on the UPS website, I created this Lean Message. Check it out: Click this link…
tl;dr: The andon cord isn’t a tool–it’s a trust signal. Toyota’s thousands of line stops reflect psychological safety and leadership support. Ford’s rare pulls reflected fear and mistrust. Lean succeeds or fails on culture, not mechanics. In 2007, a BBC…
A few of you may know that a couple weeks ago I did a webcast for Industry Week. For those of you attended, thank you for the great comments. As part of it, the sponsor, Infor, asked me to answer…
From 0 to 60 to World Domination – New York Times More from Sunday’s long NY Times piece… We’re used to Jeff Liker saying good things about Toyota, but also Bill Gates? “It’s influencing just about every major company in…
Here is Episode #18 of the LeanBlog Podcast. My guest today is Eric Christiansen, the President of a translation services company, OmniLingua (more can be found here on their philosophy as a company, being a self-described “Deming Company.”) I was…
