Update: See the bottom of the post for the webinar recording. I get to talk with many people who are leading improvement efforts in different health systems (and, sometimes, in different industries). Within our KaiNexus team and ecosystem, our VP…
Here’s Part 2 of a post about the original NUMMI Team Member Handbook from 1984 (see Part 1 here). This, and other documents I’ll be blogging about, are part of Don Ephlin’s UAW office papers, archived at the Walter P. Reuther…
I get annoyed by corporate euphemisms, such as referring to people as “resources,” the term “right-sizing” for layoffs, and the type of jargon and babble parodied in the Weird Al song “Mission Statement.” Using unclear language can intentionally mask and hide…
Dr. W. Edwards Deming used to warn against replacing intrinsic motivation with extrinsic rewards and incentives. Brian Joiner (author of Fourth Generation Management), who worked with Deming, warned that setting targets and quotas can lead to three things: improving the…
I’m guessing most “Lean thinkers” stayed home the other day on the “Black Friday” shopping day. Why might this be? For one, I think we tend to put safety first, so we avoid jostling, pushing, and shoving for discounts (and the…
Yesterday was the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., so I hope you enjoyed the day if you’re here and celebrating the holiday. I saw this article and it’s great to see Toyota getting involved in the community again, this time…
It’s probably, ahem, not the most closely watched election race in the United States today, but it will be interesting to see if Washington reelects Governor Jay Inslee, pictured at left, a big support of “Lean Government” efforts in that…
I was interviewed today by a reporter today who is doing a story on Lean. We talked about Lean being adopted in various industries and settings. He asked a very interesting question, basically: “Has Lean ever been fully implemented and…
Mark’s Note: Today’s post is by a new guest contributor, Tom Gormley. I first met Tom in 2009 or 2010 when my wife and I were in Boston for the year. He was in the process of switching into healthcare…
Were there Lean ideas to be found in a tour of AT&T Stadium and an AME Conference speech by NFL great Emmitt Smith?
Recently, when I posted a bit from the old 1984 NUMMI Team Member Handbook (more still to come on that), it allowed me to connect with Tom Wilson, a retired GM leader who spent time at NUMMI in the 1980s. In…
My guest for Episode #266 of the podcast is Karyn Ross (@KRCLean4Service on Twitter), co-author of the new book (with Jeff Liker): The Toyota Way to Service Excellence: Lean Transformation in Service Organizations.
