Toyota is often cited as the inspiration for Lean, but its success is rooted in leadership behaviors, management systems, and a deep commitment to learning—not tools or slogans. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections on Toyota’s approach to quality, continuous improvement, psychological safety, and respect for people. Many of these posts explore what leaders outside Toyota often misunderstand—and what truly matters if they hope to learn from Toyota rather than copy it.
In Episode 13 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh reconnect in their first joint episode this year, after a couple weeks of guest hosts. Our last episode together was filled with Grinches, gremlins, and glitches, so it was…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients It’s been more than 10 years since Atul Gawande wrote The Checklist Manifesto, showing the world that a simple 2-minute checklist prior to surgery resulted in fewer deaths. Adoption is “pretty spotty”, and in…
During my fifth Lean study trip to Japan, I once again visited a Toyota plant — and was reminded of a simple but profound idea that Toyota emphasizes repeatedly: making things means making people. It’s a principle that connects Lean…
My guest today is Tim Turner, who joined us previously in 2010 for episode #90. Tim was the lead author for a book called One Team on All Levels: Stories from Toyota Team Members that was about the Toyota plant and its…
A Toyota team applied the Toyota Production System in a Brazilian hospital to improve emergency care, reduce wasted motion, shorten waits, and make work easier for staff–showing TPS can improve healthcare systems, not just factories. When I was in Brazil…
t;dr: A visit to Toyota’s North American headquarters offered more than a virtual plant tour. It revealed how Toyota blends the Toyota Production System, Lean leadership, and learning from crisis to build trust, improve communication, and continuously improve–inside and outside…
Last week was our fifth annual KaiNexus User Conference (or “KaiNexicon” as we now call it). One of our keynote speakers was Jess Orr, a former Toyota engineer who shared perspectives on what it was like to now lead continuous…
This ad caught my attention while watching a little bit of Monday Night Football this week. It’s an IBM ad titled “Smart Loves Problems.” The ad’s voiceover says, in part: “Problems. It’s human nature to hate problems. But why is…
My guest for Episode #345 is Edward Niedermeyer, author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. The book offers a deeply reported look at Tesla’s history, strategy, and culture–and why manufacturing and leadership still matter. Ed is Senior Editor…
Jamie Flinchbaugh and I had a great time with the first two episodes of “Lean Whiskey.” Thanks to everyone who has subscribed, rated, and reviewed our podcast. Part of the original concept was to also sometimes have guest hosts (like…
I was invited to be a guest on a Detroit radio talk show that’s hosted by Dr. Paul Reeves, a show called “Dr. Paul’s Family Talk.” Dr. Paul is an educator (and a drummer, like me!) and he asked some…
tl;dr: A senior Toyota leader explains why the Toyota Production System is widely misunderstood. TPS is not just a set of tools, not just “lean production,” and not primarily about cutting costs. As Nampachi Hayashi explains, TPS is a total…