Tag: Kaizen

Kaizen: Daily Improvement, Learning, and Leadership in Practice

Kaizen is often misunderstood as small ideas or isolated improvement events. In practice, Kaizen is a daily, people-centered approach to learning and improving work—supported by leadership, good systems, and psychological safety. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and real-world examples of Kaizen in action, across healthcare and other industries, with a consistent focus on leadership behaviors, respect for people, and learning from problems rather than hiding them.

Why It’s OK That This Suggestion Box Was Full of Cobwebs

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As a guy who started his career in manufacturing before moving to healthcare in 2005, I don't get many opportunities to visit the "Gemba"...

11 Ways You Can Get Ideas to Flow From Staff

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Mark's note: Today's guest post is by Duke Rohe of the Office of Performance Improvement at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. I've met...

Gemba Academy Visits Franciscan St. Francis Health to Learn Lean &...

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Our friends at Gemba Academy produce some really nice online Lean education materials. It's a subscription service, but you can see some free videos on...

When Systems Improve–and When They Don’t: Recent Lessons from Healthcare, Sports,...

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Recent lessons from NICU innovation, primary care access, fan safety in baseball, and ongoing VA wait-time gaming This post is a collection of recent updates...

Asking, Not Telling: How Lean Leaders Learn What Problems Really Matter

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Lean leadership isn't just about asking people how to fix problems--it's about asking them what problems matter most. When leaders shift from telling to...

How Franciscan Health Built a Culture of Continuous Improvement Through Kaizen

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TL;DR: Franciscan Health built a lasting culture of continuous improvement by patiently practicing Kaizen every day--not as a program, but as a way of...

Kaizen Live: Our Optional Kaizen Intro Class & Lessons Learned

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This week, Joe Swartz (pictured at left) and I are running a "Kaizen Live" workshop at his main hospital, Franciscan St. Francis Health. Today and...

What Virginia Mason’s CEO Dr. Gary Kaplan Warns Against With Lean

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Dr. Gary Kaplan is the CEO of Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center, considered one of the world leaders in the adoption of Lean healthcare...

Weekend Fun: Toast Kaizen or Coffee Kaizen?

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I like to do some fun and lighthearted posts on the weekends... a blog segment I call "Weekend Fun" (not so creative, I realize). An...

Toyota Production System Explained: Why Philosophy Matters More Than Tools

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There's a triangle diagram on the TSSC webpage that describes an "integrated system" that consists of: technical methods, managerial methods, philosophy. All of this is "focused on people development," Jamie told me for the book. The model starts with people and human development in the middle, as "people are the most valuable resource," says Bonini.

“Healthcare Kaizen” Videos from Franciscan St. Francis

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In the videos, you’ll see staff and leaders talk bout “Kaizen” or continuous improvement. It’s powerful to see the impact that a “culture of continuous improvement” has on people and their lives.

Lean Would Be a Solution for What These Nurses Complain About

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In my time working with hospitals, I've always been very sympathetic to front-line nurses (and other staff). They are far too often overburdened and...
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