This Organization Chose Not to “Deploy #Lean” Because a Leader Thought…
I posted an article on LinkedIn last week as a companion article and summary of my podcast with Dean Gruner, MD,…
Browsing Tag
Customer Focus
The State of This Restaurant’s Suggestion Box Didn’t Really Surprise…
Last week, I was in Austin for the annual Lean Coaching Summit, where I took a full-day class on "Motivational…
This Apple Store Sign Seems to be a Sign of Apple’s Broader Troubles
Why the sign on the Apple Store door reminded me of their poor problem solving and inelegant solutions to my broken…
The United Flight 3411 Mess, Holding Individuals Accountable vs. Fixing the System…
I posted this on LinkedIn earlier today and am re-posting as a blog post to get your thoughts... and then, as I…
My Visit to Cleveland Clinic: Seeing Leaders Engaging Staff in Meaningful…
I had a chance to visit one of their community hospitals, Hillcrest Hospital, as well as the main campus. It was a…
A Radical Idea in Healthcare: Refunds for Dissatisfied Customers
I love stories of humility and customer focus in healthcare. Let me share two such stories with you today. Oh, and,…
#FrontierFail & Frontier Lies… Why Competence is Required Before Lean
I think I'm done complaining about Frontier Communications on Twitter. It's been a very frustrating week, as I'm on…
How Many Exam Rooms Do You Need?
Mark's note: When I first started in healthcare, I worked for a team called ValuMetrix Services, a part of Johnson…
Transparency in Healthcare: Patients *Can* Handle the Truth
Mark's Note: Here is another guest post from Drew Locher. I'm hoping that he'll contribute occasionally to the blog…
What Virginia Mason’s CEO Dr. Gary Kaplan Warns Against With #Lean
Dr. Gary Kaplan is the CEO of Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center, considered one of the world leaders in the…
Weekend Fun: Toast Kaizen or Coffee Kaizen?
I like to do some fun and lighthearted posts on the weekends... a blog segment I call "Weekend Fun" (not so…
#Lean: The Toyota Production System is Mainly About the Philosophy
Things are coming along with the 3rd revised edition of my book Lean Hospitals. There's a lot of "batch and queue"…
Take Care of Employees, They Can Take Care of Customers
As my breakfast platter was being rung up, I saw this sign behind the register (and came back to discretely take a…
How this Kaizen Prevents New Moms From Feeling Like They’re Being…
I wanted to share a recent Kaizen improvement story that I heard from a hospital.
Great things can happen when…
How to Create a Dysfunctional Culture Where Employees & Customers Are Unhappy
On this blog, I write a lot about how to create a "Lean" culture where employees and customers are happy. Engaged…
Did GM Forget that the Customer Should Come First? And Who Forgot Exactly?
I wrote an article for LinkedIn yesterday about the recent GM ignition problem controversy and recall. I commented…
Guest Post: Book Chapter on VIBCO and “Captain Karl”
Mark's note: Today's guest post is an excerpt from the book Remarkable by Toby LaVigne. Toby's bio can be found at…
Like Lean: Hotels Involve Customers ala “Lean Design”
A few weeks back, USA Today published an article that made me think of some of the approaches being used by…