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.

How Chick-fil-A Uses Lean “Game Film” to Improve Drive-Thru Flow

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TL;DR: Chick-fil-A improves drive-thru flow by using Lean thinking and "game film" to study the work, remove bottlenecks, and design better systems--while showing deep...

Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: February 21, 2025

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Thanks, as always, to Ryan McCormack for this. He always shares so much good reading, listening, and viewing here! Subscribe to get these directly...

Safety First: GE Aerospace’s Lynn Facility Demonstrates True Lean Leadership

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At its core, Lean is about people--respecting them, empowering them, and ensuring their well-being while driving continuous improvement. Recently, GE Aerospace's Lynn, MA, facility...

Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: November 29, 2024

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Thanks, as always, to Ryan McCormack for this. He always shares so much good reading, listening, and viewing here! Subscribe to get these directly...

Lean Whiskey #49: Japan Study Tour, a Lost iPhone, and Some...

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Listen: It's Episode 49 of the Lean Whiskey podcast with Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban! Mark shares tales of his holiday / study tour trip to...

Ten Years Ago — In the News Visiting a Japanese Lean...

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Just over a week ago, I got back from Katie Anderson's Japan Study Trip. It was amazing! I have so much to write about...

Bruce Hamilton on Toast Kaizen, the Northeast Lean Conference, and Thriving...

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Bruce Hamilton reflects on the legacy of Toast Kaizen, the evolution of the Northeast Lean Conference, and why Lean thinking--rooted in people development and...

Leadership Failure: How Refusing to Be Wrong Hurts Teams and Innovation

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"I am never, ever wrong." That's a statement that should disqualify an applicant from ANY leadership position. True leadership isn't about projecting infallibility--it's about fostering a...

GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp on CNBC: A Little Better Every...

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It's inspiring to hear a CEO talk about Lean and continuous improvement concepts, as Larry Culp, Chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace, did recently...

Learning from Mistakes in Healthcare: Lean Leadership Lessons from Lean Hospitals...

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Learning from mistakes is not optional in healthcare--it's essential for patient safety, staff engagement, and long-term performance. For years, I've written and spoken about...

Throwback Thursday: Engaging Staff as Problem Solvers Leads to Continuous Improvement...

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I don't think I ever shared this article that I co-authored and had published in 2014... so it's time for another "Throwback Thursday." I'll share...

The Suggestion Box Is Dead — And Kaizen Replaced It

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For decades, the suggestion box promised employee engagement and continuous improvement--but mostly delivered silence. In Lean organizations, Kaizen replaced the suggestion box with visible,...
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