November 2016 | Gemba Academy

Gratitude is the Heart of Respect

By Jon Miller - November 28th, 2016

Those of us who model our approach to lean management on the Toyota Way recognize that there are two core elements: continuous improvement and respect for people. Each of these elements breaks down into more detailed principles and pra

GA 138 | How to Use Kata to Create Service Excellence with Karyn Ross

By Jessica Bush - November 24th, 2016

This week’s guest is Karyn Ross, an author and lean practitioner who specializes in applying continuous improvement in a service context. Ron and Karyn discussed Coaching Kata, the role of creativity, her book, and much more.

Appreciation of a System

By Jon Miller - November 21st, 2016

I’ve gained a renewed appreciation for systems as a result of reading an interesting book, The Invention of Nature, about the life and influence of the nineteenth century German celebrity scientist Alexander von Humboldt. Whi

Lean Virtual Collaboration

By Steve Kane - November 18th, 2016

By Steve Kane In my previous role in the medical device manufacturing industry I was involved in Job Instruction and Job Relations. Both were incredibly valuable to the organization. A few months ago Gemba Academy took on the proje

GA 137 | How to Approach TWI with Roger Bilas

By Jessica Bush - November 17th, 2016

This week’s guest is Roger Bilas, a lean practitioner who specializes in TWI. Ron and Roger discussed the three components of TWI, the order they should be learned in, and more. An MP3 version of this episode is available for dow

New Videos: Transforming Your Value Streams in Spanish

By Kevin Meyer - November 14th, 2016

We just released our third course in the School of Lean in Spanish, Transforming Your Value Streams. Going beyond Spanish subtitles, which are already available on all School of Lean and School of Six Sigma courses, these new courses u

When the Possible Trumps the Likely

By Jon Miller - November 14th, 2016

About a decade ago I was invited to help mentor the productivity and quality improvement teams at a large consumer electronics manufacturer. During the first visit there were three things that immediately struck me about this company

The Pursuit of Perfection

By Kevin Meyer - November 11th, 2016

Five months ago I called my painter, who happens to live all of three doors away, to see if he had time to do some touchup on the house. He was able to fit me into his schedule starting a couple weeks ago. I knew I was going to ha

GA 136 | How to Create Value with Michael Mindes

By Jessica Bush - November 10th, 2016

This week’s guest is Michael Mindes, Founder and CEO of Tasty Minstrel Games. Michael shared his experiences with lean thus far, and how he applies what he learns to his business. An MP3 version of this episode is available for

For a Culture of Innovation, Turn Board Meetings into Cardboard Meetings

By Jon Miller - November 7th, 2016

Not long ago a friend of mine from a compay not too far away called me for advice (hopefully that is vague enough provides enough plausible deniability for him and/or her). My friend was told to remove a large quantity of cardboard fr

Month: November 2016