How is the “Toyota Effect” Helping Factories, Hospitals, and Non-Profits?
Toyota shared some compelling short films with me and I've written about three of them over on LinkedIn... As we see in the videos, Lean is very powerful, in many settings...
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Going to Gemba in Japan: Reflections on Two Lean Healthcare Study Tours
I’ve gone to Japan twice now with Kaizen Institute to study Lean with healthcare professionals from around the world. I first went in 2012, as a paid attendee, and I went back in 2014 as a partner and co-facilitator to…
My Visit to the Toyota Tsutsumi Plant, Part 1
I’ve been overdue in writing more posts about our Japan tour that took place two months ago now. See previous posts in this series. I’m going to try to do one post a week on this topic. It’s always fascinating…
Toyota Kaizen Examples: What 430,000 Ideas a Year Actually Look Like
TL;DR: A Toyota tour guide at the Tsutsumi plant once added a small hook to a catwalk railing because she didn’t like setting her bag down. Her manager approved it. A colleague installed it. No ROI analysis was required. That…
Lean Healthcare Study Tour – Join Me in November 2014
You might remember that I partnered with Kaizen Institute about two years ago to do their first “Lean Healthcare Study Tour” to Japan. I blogged a bit about the last trip last week. It was a great learning experience, as…
Videos Look Inside the Tesla (former NUMMI) Factory – Will They Be More like Toyota or GM?
I was able to tour the NUMMI factory in 2005, which I really enjoyed (see my series of blog posts here). NUMMI was, of course, a joint venture between Toyota and GM (as John Shook talked about recently at the…
No, Toyota Wouldn’t Kick the Patient Out: Debunking Lean Misconceptions in Healthcare
In my experience, you have to be cautious when somebody says either, “Lean says you should….” or “Toyota would tell you to…” because those statements, even if stated authoritatively, can be wrong. At a recent speaking engagement (I won’t disclose…
Toyota’s Respect for People (or “Respect for Humanity”): The Heart of Lean Thinking
TL;DR: At Toyota, the principle is closer to “respect for humanity” than “respect for people” — and that difference matters. It’s not a slogan or a soft value. It is one of two equally important pillars of the Toyota Production…
Japan Tour Reflections: Taking Home Lean Artifacts or Lean Thinking?
Reflecting more on my recent Japan tour (see previous posts) one word came up in my notes: artifacts. One dictionary definition of that term is straightforward: “any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.” Another…
Visiting the Toyota Museum in Nagoya
While I’m in Japan this week (read about the trip), I’m going to keep my blogging light – my aim is to share one picture or thought each day. The tour starts on Monday with a visit to a Toyota…
Why GM Blamed JIT for Layoffs After the Japan Earthquake — and Why Toyota Didn’t
TL;DR — GM vs. Toyota After the Japan Earthquake General Motors (GM) Toyota Bottom line:This wasn’t a failure of JIT or Lean. It was a leadership choice. Toyota showed that real Lean is about how you treat people when work…
My First Visit to the Toyota Truck Plant in San Antonio (TMMTX)
This blog post is about my first visit to TMMTX in 2010.