“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.
1) Guardian (U.K.) Story 2) Houston Chronicle Story 3) Chicago Tribune Story Look at those articles. How amazing is this illustration of Toyota’s “respect for people” principle? You can treat people as expendable costs or an asset to train and invest…
IndustryWeek : Introducing Training Within Industry Our friend Bryan Lund is featured in this interview with IndustryWeek (click here to subscribe) about the Training Within Industry Program. I love the focus on developing people: IW: What do you hope to…
GM preps for new hires after buyouts This is a particularly sad story. We often debate the proper role of layoffs and headcount reductions in the Lean community. It’s “conventional wisdom” perhaps in the Lean movement that we should not…
asahi.com article – ENGLISH Interesting article from Japan… Toyota’s 40,000 factory workers in Japan are all engaged in kaizen, or continuous improvement, as a core part of the quality control (QC) activities. No surprise there… Lean and kaizen are tightly…
by Dan Markovitz The New York subway system has invested nearly $1 billion investment since the early 1990s — and $25 million per year in maintenance cost — in equipping stations with elevators and escalators. The results have been less-than…
I’ve had the opportunity to read Bob Emiliani’s two collections of essays on “Real Lean” and I’m long overdue on posting about them. I’m especially late considering since Volume Three is coming out in June. These books are particularly recommended…
CURRENTS / ‘Toyota way’ inspires lean practices From a Japanese newspaper, an article about the impact the Toyota Production System is having on organizations around the world. The first example is the U.S. military, the Air Force more specifically: Since…
toledoblade.com — Dana CEO, veteran of Toyota, hailed as mentor Here’s another nice article that gives an overview of the leadership style of Gary Convis, a long-time Toyota exec who is now CEO of parts maker Dana. IF DANA Holding…
Why do so many Lean efforts fail at the leadership level? Jeffrey Liker explains how Toyota develops managers over time–through stability, daily coaching, and deep respect for people–rather than quick rotations or promotions. Here is LeanBlog Podcast #41 with Dr.…
Dell to close Austin plant, cutting more than 800 jobs | Statesman Business Blog I’m angry. I try not to blog when I’m angry, so I’ll try to watch my words carefully. Probably won’t succeed. This recent news hits home…
Coaches grousing over mandatory helmets : Rockies : The Rocky Mountain News Happy Opening Day to baseball fans out there. I grew up a huge Detroit Tigers fan (and a highlight was that championship 1984 season) and still like the…
Employee’s suit: Company used waterboarding to motivate workers – Salt Lake TribuneThis isn’t a “Lean” article, but holy moley, you have to read the linked story and think about how a company culture gets that far off the rails. First…
