Jeff Liker explains how Toyota leaders at every level are expected to respond when something goes wrong — and why most other companies default to blame instead. We also dig into the real story behind Ford’s failed andon cord rollout…
In some of the major Lean transformation stories (in manufacturing in healthcare) usually include stories about some percentage of managers, doctors, or employees who chose to leave the organization. This is often a badge of honor of sorts. Sometimes, those people get labeled as "concrete heads" (I term I think we shouldn't use, as I've blogged about).
Is this really the right way to view things?
Having a model like this helps prevent errors, such as jumping to implement Lean tools before the organization understands WHY change is necessary. You have to engage and enroll people in change, not just force things on them.
I am convinced that the ExperienceChange simulations, either Lakeview or GlobalTech, are a great way to learn and practice.
My guest for episode #193 is Mark Jaben, MD, talking about our brains, Lean, and change. Mark has been a guest blogger for me before and it’s great to talk to him today about his research and experiences. In our conversation,…
It’s such a common complaint when any program struggles or fails in an organization. Leaders often bemoan the supposedly undeniable fact that “our people are resistant to change.” It’s such a simple statement – and one that doesn’t get challenged…
The LEI is out with their annual survey (pdf) about our ongoing struggles implementing Lean, with articles (reprinting the press release) and blog posts already written, The results aren’t the views of the LEI, but are the views of the…
Eric Ries is best known as the author of The Lean Startup — the book that gave a generation of founders a shared vocabulary of minimum viable product, build-measure-learn, and pivot. But when I had him on My Favorite Mistake…
I watched the HBO documentary “Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare” the other day. It’s chilling. The film gives a detailed account of the nine days after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, focusing on the workers who risked their lives to…
Most people open the Lean Coach, ask a question about standardized work or value stream mapping, and get a solid answer. That’s the obvious use case. But the Coach Me mode — the Socratic coaching side — opens up something…
Tl;DR: Leaders unintentionally create fear by overreacting to variation, waste, and mistakes. That fear quietly kills improvement. This post connects the threads across my four books to show why leadership reaction — not tools — shapes the system. You review…
People keep asking me a reasonable question: “Why not just use ChatGPT?” After all, ChatGPT “knows” a lot about Lean. You can ask it about value stream mapping, PDSA cycles, or the Toyota Production System and get a decent answer.…
TL;DR: Fujio Cho explained that standardized work is not about control or compliance–it’s the foundation for learning, quality, and continuous improvement. When used as Toyota intended, standardized work creates stability, makes problems visible, and helps leaders improve systems rather than…
