Kaizen Archives | Gemba Academy

The Gemba Was IRL All Along

By Ron Pereira - November 11th, 2026

The other evening, a LinkedIn post from Gary Vaynerchuk caught my attention. Specifically, he predicted, “I think there’s going to be a digital detox.” He went on to say that people keep telling him their 12- and 13-y

Stop Chasing Raccoons

By Ron Pereira - October 28th, 2026

At around 5 am yesterday morning my cat, Pixie, found me (like she always does). She knows when I wake up and where to find me when she’s hungry. So, like normal, I headed out to my barn to feed her. I keep forgetting my wife rec

How to Sustain Kaizen Improvements: 7 Proven Ways

By Alen Ganic - October 26th, 2026

How many times have you witnessed a successful Kaizen event on the shop floor, in a hospital, or in an office where you made significant improvements, delivered presentations, and celebrated accomplishments? Then, a few months later, y

GA 655 | Behavior Is the Audit with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - October 22nd, 2026

Most kaizen practitioners know the moment when a skeptic turns. It can take a day, a week, or nine months, but something clicks and the person who crossed their arms at the start is now telling the VP what their line accomplished. Adam

Skipping the 95

By Ron Pereira - October 21st, 2026

A worn gym weight stack reveals a surprising lesson about habits, progress, and kaizen. Sometimes the smallest step is the one that matters most.

It Started with a Grey Bedsheet

By Ron Pereira - June 17th, 2026

Gemba Academy’s first “studio” was a spare bedroom with a grey bedsheet backdrop. This story is a reminder that meaningful work rarely starts perfectly. It starts when we stop waiting and begin.

GA 623 | The Power of Entropy with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - March 12th, 2026

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed Adam’s Wheel of Sustainability, the importance of continuously improving, what his Sustainability System assessment is trying to solve, and more. An MP3 audio versi

GA 619 | Don’t Walk By a Mess with Chad Bareither

By Jessica Bush - February 12th, 2026

This week’s guest is Chad Bareither. Ron and Chad discussed making culture changes in the workplace, powerful aspects of Japanese culture, the importance of cleaning up, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 604 | Creating a Culture of Problem Solvers with Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe

By Jessica Bush - October 30th, 2025

This week’s guests are Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe. Ron, Sarah, and Leah discussed the problem solver revolution, building trust in yourself and others, working with younger generations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epis

Adaptive Leadership in an Ever-Changing World

By Ricky Banks - October 21st, 2025

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills.” As leaders, we can resist and maintain a singular leadership style, or we can adapt to meet the changing ne

Do Hard Things

By Ron Pereira - October 20th, 2025

There’s an ancient story about Odysseus and the island of the Lotus Eaters. When Odysseus and his men arrived there, they were offered lotus flowers that made them forget their purpose. Those who ate the lotus lost their desire t

GA 600 | Reflecting on Six Hundred Episodes with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - October 2nd, 2025

This week we’re celebrating our 600th episode. Our Director of Studios Greg Nickell asked Ron about the company’s growth over the years, the challenges we’ve faced, what we hope the next generation will take away from

GA 586 | Being Kaizen Ninjas with Kirsten Gallagher and Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - June 26th, 2025

This week’s guests are Kirsten Gallagher and Adam Lawrence. Ron, Kirsten, and Adam discussed Kirsten and Adam’s individual backgrounds, what it means to be a “kaizen ninja,” how to handle reluctant participants,

GA 580 | The Transformation of Operational Excellence with Dr. Adil Dalal

By Jessica Bush - May 15th, 2025

This week’s guest is Dr. Adil Dalal. Ron and Adil discussed the rapid evolution of AI and technology, how it affects lean and operational excellence, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

GA 575 | Continuous Improvement at Corporations vs. Startups with Christopher Lieb

By Jessica Bush - April 10th, 2025

This week’s guest is Christopher Lieb. Ron and Chris discussed Chris’s transition from practicing continuous improvement at a large company to a startup, the mentality he likes to adopt, and more. An MP3 audio version of th

GA 574 | Dealing with Resistance from Management with Tanner McClure

By Jessica Bush - April 3rd, 2025

This week’s guest is Tanner McClure. Ron and Tanner discussed Tanner’s introduction to lean, dealing with resistance from management and supervisors, the “paper doll” tool, and more. An MP3 audio version of this

GA 573 | Initiating Operational Excellence on a Global Scale with Jackey Lin

By Jessica Bush - March 27th, 2025

This week’s guest is Jackey Lin. Ron and Jackey discussed Jackey’s diverse career background, deploying operational excellence on a global scale, overcoming communication barriers, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epi

GA 569 | Reliability Kaizen with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - February 27th, 2025

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed reliability kaizen, what it means, how it relates to the Wheel of Sustainability, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this e

GA 562 | Lean in the Prison Industry with Brandon Bunn

By Jessica Bush - January 9th, 2025

This week’s guest is Brandon Bunn. Ron and Brandon discussed what it looks like to leverage lean and continuous improvement inside prison facilities, some of the obstacles that arise, and how other lean leaders can get involved.

New ways of working text on yellow notepad

Agile Process Improvement Efforts

By John Knotts - September 20th, 2024

In today’s leaner times, businesses are often forced to scrutinize their investments, and unfortunately, process improvement programs like quality initiatives are frequently among the first to be cut. These programs are often per

GA 546 | Navigating Business Turnarounds with Alfonso Aramburo

By Jessica Bush - September 19th, 2024

This week’s guest is Alfonso Aramburo. Ron and Alfonso discussed Alfonso’s experiences with turnarounds, leadership styles, balancing financial restructuring and operational excellence, and more. An MP3 audio version of thi

GA 543 | Using Improv in Kaizen Events with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - August 29th, 2024

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed the Wheel of Sustainability, how it plays into a kaizen event, and how improv can also be a powerful tool in a rapid improvement context. An MP3 audio version of t

GA 542 | The Digitization of Work with Ron Crabtree

By Jessica Bush - August 22nd, 2024

This week’s guest is Ron Crabtree. The two Rons discussed the concept of digital transformation, or digitization, including what it entails, how to navigate these transformations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is

GA 539 | Productivity Reimagined with Jacob Stoller

By Jessica Bush - August 1st, 2024

This week’s guest is Jacob Stoller. Ron and Jacob discussed Jacob’s upcoming book, “Productivity Reimagined,” what it means to be productive, what productivity looks like in different industries, and more. An MP

A Company’s Continuous Improvement Journey

By John Knotts - July 19th, 2024

Embarking on your company’s continuous improvement journey can often be frustrating. This leads to the disheartening realization that your efforts seem ineffective. In the pursuit of excellence, many companies embark on a journey

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