“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.
TL;DR: Ford wants to learn from Toyota without blindly copying–but Lean isn’t just about continuous improvement and efficiency. Without a deep commitment to respect for people and long-term thinking, copying Toyota’s tools won’t deliver Toyota’s results. Ford CEO Mulally shares…
So it’s Sunday morning, I have a cup of coffee at the ready… nice quiet, peaceful, sunny Sunday morning (you can tell we don’t have kids). Last Sunday, my wife and I went to a local restaurant that had been…
By Andy Wagner: I’ve been in industry for a little over ten years now, reading and thinking about lean for at least seven. Thanks to Mark, I’ve been writing about lean for about two years. I’ve read about first-time-yield, customer…
TL;DR: Toyota stands apart because every employee is empowered to improve their work every day. That combination of respect for people, daily improvement, and visible learning creates better quality, safety, and performance–and it works just as well in healthcare as…
By Adam Zak, Adam Zak Executive Search: As a LeanThinker I am most unabashedly a free market advocate. Free trade, absolutely. Love those imported fresh Mexican tomatoes in my sandwich on a freezing January day. Open skies, no question. I…
By Adam Zak, Adam Zak Executive Search:I’ve been writing quite a bit lately about why respect for people, often vividly demonstrated when your team members are truly engaged in their day-to-day work, is critical to building and sustaining the Lean…
Updated 11/17/08 10 PM central If you have WSJ access, check out today’s article “Stores Count Seconds to Trim Labor Costs”. I thought, oh no punitive Taylorism… And sure enough they reference Taylor. Be sure to see the end of…
I stumbled across a piece Richard Feynman spoke some time ago about “Cargo Cult Science” and couldn’t help but extend the analogy to “Cargo Cult Lean”, or as Mark’s named it, “LAME: Lean as Mistakenly Executed.” First off, what is…
Toyota’s plunge into big pickups veers into a Texas-size ravine – USATODAY.com I’ve already written about this before, but there was a new article in USA Today about Toyota’s commitment to its workers in San Antonio, even during a slow…
leanblog.org | Lean Blog: Bad Lean/5S Hits the UK Media I presented yesterday and had a great day (meeting people and learning) with the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative and their annual Lean conference. I’ll write more about their story later and…
The Associated Press: Toyota lays off 800 line workers at Japan plant I’m starting to cut Toyota less slack for their claims of not having laid off employees in over 50 years. Japanese automaker Toyota has laid off 800 people…
by Jamie Flinchbaugh, co-author, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean What’s the purpose of thinking about work as a value stream? Is it just a buzzword? It helps us identify how our activities connect and flow together in order to deliver…
