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.
Watching the news about the tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota, it’s easy to feel helpless, what can we do if something like that happens to us? The odds are very slim, but it *is* a possibility that any of us…
I recorded my Podcast interview with Dr. Sami Bahri, “The First Lean Dentist,” last night. What a treat it has been to talk with Dr. Bahri. I can’t wait to get this edited and released so you all can hear…
By Jean Cunningham: Just a quick story of a kaizen event….this one was in a service company. They wanted to improve cash flow by getting receivable more quickly. By mapping the current process with a few of the sales people,…
Detroit Free Press Forums In my previous post, I questioned if GM was teaching true “Standard Work” to reporters who came to their training center in Lansing. My cynicism may have gotten the best of me, as it seemed, from…
By Norman Bodek, PCS Press Note: This originally appeared recently on the NWLean email list. This is re-printed with Norman’s permission. Consider it a preview of an upcoming LeanBlog Podcast. I believe that Toyota has always wanted to make great…
Army Article We’ve had a few posts about the LSS efforts of the military, including the Army and Air Force. Here’s an article from the Army (hat tip to iSixSigma’s blogs) that spells out the savings. It looks like they…
Seth’s Blog: “It’s always like this” Seth Godin has an example of chronic waste and poor planning at New York’s Javits Convention Center. He, with some colleagues, had to sit on the floor in the food court to eat because…
Seconds count for Southwest | Dallas Morning News Here was a nice article from the Dallas paper a week ago about kaizen-type activities at Southwest Airlines. It’s not called Lean, nor does it reference Toyota, but it sounds like Lean.…
Comprehensive Drug & Alcohol Treatment Facility is First of its Kind in the State Former classmate and blog reader Chris and I always used to joke about “PDCA-ing your life.” Maybe it’s not that funny, but we were at MIT.…
Article Link Thanks to Ron for sending this article my way. Check out his excellent blog post on the difference between being fast and “playing fast,” tying the football idea to manufacturing (although I’m hoping my Wildcats can finally beat…
Listen: LeanBlog Podcast Episode #21 features our friend and frequent guest, Norman Bodek, noted lean author, consultant, and President of PCS Press. In this Podcast, we talk about how Lean should be good for a company’s employees, that Lean and…
Recently, I spent a few days doing some current state assessment work with a healthcare billing environment. I spent my time shadowing employees, observing the process, looking for waste, and asking them about problems they face in the course of…