Everyone a Problem Solver?
A phrase I keep hearing more of in the Lean world, even at a few hospitals is that leaders want “everyone to be a problem solver?” Is this uniquely Lean? Depends on what you mean by “problem solving.”
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.
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10 Things Lean Practitioners Should Stop Saying
Language that undermines Lean, respect for people, and real improvement TL;DR: The words Lean leaders use matter–some common phrases quietly reinforce command-and-control thinking, fear, and misunderstanding rather than learning and improvement. If Lean is truly about respect for people and…
Why “Flexing” Hospital Staff Is Not Lean — and Hurts Improvement and Performance
TL;DR: Sending nurses and other hospital staff home early when census dips may reduce short-term labor costs, but it undermines continuous improvement, morale, and patient flow. Lean organizations invest downtime in learning and improvement–because respect for people and better systems…
A Lean Change Agent's Move to Healthcare in Michigan
‘It’s all about process’: Saint Mary’s Steve Palmreuter targets waste Here is an article that might serve as an inspiration for those of you who are looking to make a career transition from manufacturing to healthcare. The linked news article…
How Hospital Staff Suggestions Save Millions–and Improve Patient Care
TL;DR: Hospitals that actively engage frontline staff through Lean suggestion systems are saving millions while improving patient care, morale, and safety–without layoffs. Staff-driven kaizen works because the people closest to the work are best positioned to improve it, every day.…
Some "Like Lean" Thoughts from CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN Programs – Anchors/Reporters – Sanjay Gupta I had a very full, interesting week – giving a well-received talk about Lean Healthcare at the Ontario Hospital Association convention, spending a day with a hospital east of Toronto, and hearing some…
NY Times on Standardization, Deming, and Lean Principles in Healthcare
If Health Care Is Going to Change, Dr. Brent James’s Ideas Will Change It – NYTimes.com About 10 people sent me this article via the blog or Twitter, so thanks for that. Don’t worry about duplication if you see stuff…
The Purpose of Kaizen Events
I recently ran into David Meier, co-author of the outstanding books The Toyota Way Fieldbook and Toyota Talent. He was talking about kaizen events and he made a few interesting points from his time at Toyota: 1) He was only…
Guest Post: Emergency Blood Product Release: Using the “6-3” to Work Smarter
Many thanks to the staff of Barnes-Jewish Hospital for providing this for publication. You might also be interested in my podcast with Dr. David Jaques from the same hospital. By: Rebekah Johnson, BS, David Jaques, MD, and Colleen Becker, MSN,…
The “Soul” of the Toyota Production System: Why TPS Is So Hard to Copy
Article: How Toyota Defies Gravity While researching an upcoming presentation, I found this FORTUNE article from 1997. I was looking for a reference to Toyota letting its competitors (yes, Ford, GM, and Chrysler) tour its factories. Why Would Toyota Let…
LeanBlog Podcast #76 – Dr. David Jaques, Lean in Surgical Services
Episode #76 is a discussion with Dr. David Jaques, VP of Surgical Services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO. In this podcast, Dr. Jaques talks about how he has led Lean efforts that involve physicians in a unique “6/3”…
Innovation Is as Innovation Does?
Dispatches from the Frontier: Innovation as Outcome This story also seems like it couldn’t be true, from the Harga-Blog: I once asked a class full of senior executives whether they wanted innovation. They all said yes. When I then asked…
