“Respect for people” isn’t about being nice—it’s about how leaders design systems, make decisions, and respond to problems. In Lean organizations, respect shows up through listening, job security, psychological safety, clear communication, and a commitment to learning rather than blame. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and examples that explore respect for people as a core Lean principle—one that enables trust, engagement, continuous improvement, and better outcomes for customers and employees alike.
I saw this quote on Twitter from the pastor Rick Warren (happens to fit in the 140 characters): “Love isn’t letting people do whatever they want. That’s often cowardice or apathy. Love cares enough to tell the truth.” I’m not…
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth: scientific management in the operating room I sprung $20 for this healthcare journal article about the Gilbreths, thought I’d share a few historical tidbits here. I already knew that Frank Gilbreth was credited with the idea…
Leanies of the World, Unite! TL;DR: Not everything labeled “Lean” is truly Lean–many worker complaints stem from L.A.M.E. (Lean As Misguidedly Executed), not the Toyota Production System itself. Real Lean is a management philosophy built on respect for people, problem…
by Dan Markovitz I took this picture of a UPS truck recently in NYC. (The orange signs say “SAFETY.”) At first I thought, “Great! UPS management cares about safety for its drivers. Terrific!” But then I looked at the signs…
Housekeepers’ Giant “Hope Quilt” Puts Hotel Job Injuries in Spotlight | Labor Notes Articles like this are incredibly frustrating to see. It makes me think of a variation of the famous Bon Jovi song that would go something like “You…
Calif. to get dose of auto anguish | Detroit Free Press | Freep.com Here’s a recent story about the demise of NUMMI, in which, the reporter wrote: “On the manufacturing side, GM did sustain much of what it learned from…
What top-performing EDs do – Hospitals & Health Networks I was really, Really, REALLY puzzled by the first line in this article, that read: “Lean, Six Sigma and Toyota Production System applications have simply not proven sustainable in health care.…
There are lots of comments online, blogs, and Twitter about people complaining that Lean at Starbucks is an attempt to turn people into robots. Again, that is the furthest thing from truth. Fine, don’t believe me. Believe a hospital. Some…
By Andy Wagner: The New York Times recently published an essay by Matthew Crawford, based on his new book Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work. In his inquiry into the value of work, Crawford takes…
TL;DR: At GM, fear and poor leadership blocked bad news from flowing both up and down the organization. Executives were shielded from reality, frontline workers weren’t told the truth, and trust eroded as a result. Without leaders going to the…
Toyota Names Akio Toyoda President, Apologizes to Shareholders for Losses This was rumored for a while, but Toyota has formally named Akio Toyoda as the next President. Yes, “Toyoda” with a “d” — that’s the family name. Back when Toyota…
Following The Toyota Way, For Better Or Worse : NPR (listen or read) I’ll hand it to NPR, they generally do a much better job understanding and covering Toyota than the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, or Reuters. Tuesday, there…
