Organizational culture isn’t what leaders say—it’s what people experience every day based on management behaviors, systems, and priorities. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections on culture through a Lean lens, exploring how leadership decisions shape trust, psychological safety, learning, and performance. Many of these posts draw on lessons from Deming, Toyota, healthcare, and real organizations to show that culture is not a program to roll out, but an outcome leaders create—intentionally or not.
By Adam Zak, Adam Zak Executive Search:I’ve been writing quite a bit lately about why respect for people, often vividly demonstrated when your team members are truly engaged in their day-to-day work, is critical to building and sustaining the Lean…
I’ve blogged before about the “20 things supervisors shouldn’t say.” I’ll throw out, for discussion, two phrases that are awful to hear in the context of any change management situation, such as Lean in a hospital or a factory. When…
I had a great conversation with a fellow healthcare lean thinker the other day. She shared my book, Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Satisfaction, with the CEO and some other executives at a hospital she works with.…
Eliminating He Said, She Said « Sharing thoughts, ideas and suggestions on hardwiring success I really like Quint Studer’s books, not just for healthcare, but as general leadership books (you can find his books on Amazon) In his most recent…
Top Small Workplaces 2008 – WSJ.com Today’s WSJ was well worth the $2.00. Yes, I subscribe to the online Journal, but there’s something nice about reading the regular print version while traveling. Maybe I should just buy a Kindle as…
Listen: Here is LeanBlog Podcast #40, an interview with a retired UAW/GM employee who wishes to remain anonymous, at this point. We have traded many emails over the past year, about Lean, and I’m impressed with this individual’s true passion…
Sometimes people ask me, “how does Lean apply in a hospital?” The critical issues in a hospital are more often about culture and environment (although using technical lean methods for improving processes and flow are important also). Many hospitals, unfortunately,…
Cubicle Culture – WSJ.com: Why Learn and Grow On the Job? It’s Easier To Feign Infallibility Free Version via CareerJournal.com In the Lean / Toyota Way mindset, we have the belief that we have to be open about our problems…
Jeffrey Liker’s new book on Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way is out. I’m getting a copy on Tuesday and hope to post a review ASAP. If anyone else is reading it, feel free to share…
Got this story during an email exchange, used with express permission: —————————– I saw my doctor yesterday and told him I was doing a lean publication, and he immediately started complaining about well-intended but impractical top-down measures being taken in…
Another great thought from David Mann this week was highlighting how a Lean culture will “embrace it’s misses” rather than try to cover them up. His example was in the context of a production line not making it’s production goal…
LeanBlog Podcast Episode #9 is a discussion with David Mann, the author of the excellent book Creating A Lean Culture: Tools To Sustain Lean Conversions. In this episode, we will talk about Steelcase’s experience with their lean efforts and the…
