June 2006 | Page 2 of 3 | Gemba Academy

Gemba Keiei Chapter 25: Work is a Game of Wits with Subordinates

By Jon Miller - June 16th, 2006

Taiichi Ohno begins the chapter “In order to lead a large number of people in work, you have to be tough. But I think this is basically not a matter of giving orders or instructions, but a game of wits with subordinates.” Ohno says

The Lean Ranger in: The Workshop of the World, Part II

By Jon Miller - June 15th, 2006

After a short layover at Gemba’s Shanghai office, Yang Kai and I are off to Guangzhou. Since it’s a domestic flight, the Security level is a little lower, but there are still lots of uniforms standing around. I spot an ATM in the a

NHS Confederation Releases “Lean Thinking for the NHS”

By Jon Miller - June 14th, 2006

The United Kingdom has taken an important step in leading the Lean healthcare movement today with the publication of Lean Thinking for the NHS by the NHS Confederation (National Health Service) based on studies done by the Lean Enterpr

Sell Complacency, Buy Kaizen

By Jon Miller - June 13th, 2006

On June 12, 2006 Minyanville News & Views commentary money manager Ryan Krueger gave the advice “sell complacency, buy kaizen”. He sees the U.S. as complacent, giving evidence for the eroding dominance as the number on

Lean Thinking & Google’s 9 Notions of Innovation

By Jon Miller - June 12th, 2006

I’ve written from time to time about the relationship between kaizen, Lean process and innovation in this blog. Innovation is the hot thing at the moment as the United States struggles to cope with what appears to be the increasing i

Kaizen Song: Cycle Times They Are A-Changin’

By Jon Miller - June 10th, 2006

Doing some 5S with computer files this weekend I came across a folder of “kaizen songs” we had made for fun a few years ago. The melodies are well-known folk, rock or country tunes. This one is called Cycle Times They Are A

Some Thoughts on Future State Value Stream Mapping

By Jon Miller - June 8th, 2006

To paraphrase a military expression “The most dangerous thing in a combat zone is an officer with a map” in Lean manufacturing terms: “The most dangerous thing on the shop floor is a manager with a value steam map.” I have noth

Gemba Keiei Chapter 24: Fight the Robot Fad

By Jon Miller - June 7th, 2006

“We only started talking about ‘reduced volume production’ after the 1973 oil shock. Prior to that we could sell everything we made so cost reduction for mass production was easier.” Ohno goes on to say that although many other

Lean Manufacturing Mantras

By Jon Miller - June 6th, 2006

One of my favorite Lean manufacturing moments was when a group of highly intelligent and committed Lean leaders from an American industrial giant that we took to Japan realized that the excellent company we were visiting had no idea wh

Giving Lean Healthcare a Bad Name

By Jon Miller - June 5th, 2006

We’re giving Lean healthcare a bad name in Jean’s world. Jean is a nurse at a hospital where Lean healthcare practices based on the Toyota Production System are being implemented. At Jean’s hospital, it sounds like they a

Month: June 2006