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.
This post is built around excerpts from the book The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. Read more about Toyota, including stories and key lessons learned in the book. Download a free preview Today, we explore…
Wolfgang Puck practices Lean and Kaizen without calling it that–by developing people, learning from mistakes, focusing on customers, and improving every day. This post shows why continuous improvement is a leadership mindset, not a manufacturing technique. The GE Lean Mindset…
Gemba and genba refer to the same Japanese word, 現場, meaning “the actual place.” The difference is how the word is written in the Roman alphabet. In Lean work, either spelling points us toward observing the work where it happens…
tl;dr: In a riveting discussion, Ford CEO Jim Farley and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi delve into Lean principles, cultural shifts, and operational challenges. From crisis management to employee respect, discover how these transportation industry leaders are transforming their companies. A…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #484 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Keith Ingels, who previously joined us in Episode 390. He’s the RLM Manager of Solutions & Support Centers —…
Joining us for Episode #476 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ken Pilone, who has more than 30 years’ experience in Organization Development in government, retail, automotive, distribution, and aerospace. He recently retired from Providence Health & Services, working…
This week’s episode of the “My Favorite Mistake” podcast features Mike Kaeding, the CEO of a company, Norhart, that designs, builds, and rents apartments. They are transforming the way this is done by incorporating technologies and techniques that have revolutionized…
I am saddened to hear of the death of Ritsuo Shingo (1947-2023), as announced by the Shingo Institute. He was the son of Shigeo Shingo, for whom the Shingo Prize and Shingo Institute were named. I want to express my…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more Joining us for Episode #472 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mit Vyas, managing director for Gemba Automation. He started his career at Toyota and worked for other large corporations.…
Joining us for Episode #469 of the Lean Blog Interview Podcast are Matt May and Pablo Dominguez, the authors of the new book What a Unicorn Knows: How Leading Entrepreneurs Use Lean Principles to Drive Sustainable Growth. It’s available now! Matt has been before, in episodes 67 and 103……
Following up on my recent collaboration with ChatGPT (“Alternative History: GM Uses Lean to Remain #1 in the Auto Industry“), I also asked the AI bot to simulate what might have gone differently in healthcare. I gave an initial prompt…
TL;DR: GM had the chance to learn the Toyota Production System firsthand at NUMMI starting in 1984. They didn’t. I asked ChatGPT to imagine what might have happened if they had. Updated May 2024: I worked with ChatGPT 4 to…
