Lean Office Archives | Page 4 of 12

Building A Culture Of Continuous Improvement Part Two

By Steve Kane - January 28th, 2022

This article was written by John Knotts, a Senior Coach here at Gemba Academy. This is the fourth in a series of five articles written by John. The previous three are hyperlinked below: Over the last three months, we have covered th

GA 405 | Elevating Constraints with Max Krug and Pavel Kuviarzin

By Jessica Bush - January 6th, 2022

This week’s guests are Max Krug and Pavel Kuviarzin. Max and Pavel gave us their take on the relationship between lean, processes, and The Theory of Constraints. They also touched on the dangers of falling too far into one partic

GA 402 | Leading From the Jumpseat with Peter Docker

By Jessica Bush - December 16th, 2021

This week’s guest is Peter Docker. Speaker, author, and former member of the Royal Air Force, Peter had a lot of very powerful leadership advice to share. He and Ron also specifically discussed Peter’s book, Leading From th

GA 399 | Practicing Lean Accounting with Mike De Luca and Nick Katko

By Jessica Bush - November 25th, 2021

This week’s guests are Mike De Luca and Nick Katko. Together with Ron they discussed the concept of lean accounting, and what its advantages are over traditional cost accounting. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 396 | The Barriers to Developing a Lean Culture with Sara Ann Todd

By Jessica Bush - November 4th, 2021

This week’s guest is Sara Ann Todd. Sara shared her thoughts on continuous improvement and organizational culture, specifically creating a culture of lean. She and Ron also discussed Respect for People, dealing with self-doubt, a

GA 393 | Lean Storytelling with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - October 14th, 2021

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. We’ve had Adam on the show a few times before and have come to love his engaging and thought-provoking stories. This week Adam shared several different ones, each with a different message

GA 392 | Using Lean on a Horse Farm with John Knotts

By Jessica Bush - October 7th, 2021

This week’s guest is John Knotts. John is our newest Gemba Academy employee, and he shed some light on engagement and change readiness. John also owns a horse farm, and he explained how lean applies to that environment. An MP3 au

GA 391 | Discovering the Power of Toyota Kata with Ron Pereira & Friends

By Jessica Bush - September 30th, 2021

This week we’re sharing a few different audio clips on the power and benefits of Toyota Kata. The videos they come from will be available to view on our website without a subscription, so be sure to check them out. An MP3 audio v

GA 390 | Exploring and Using VAVE with Valorie Hendrix

By Jessica Bush - September 23rd, 2021

This week’s guest is Valorie Hendrix. Valorie told us all about VAVE, what it stands for, and what its benefits are. Valorie also explained how VAVE can be applied in less traditional lean settings, not just manufacturing. An MP3

Don’t Change the Culture, Change the Cultural Inputs

By Steve Kane - August 27th, 2021

Company culture, loosely defined, is a set of shared beliefs, values, purpose, practices, behaviors, artifacts, language, goals, and attitudes within an organization. Changing culture continues to be a hot topic in the workplace. While

GA 386 | Navigating Your Journey to Success with Michelle Pereira

By Jessica Bush - August 26th, 2021

This week’s guest is Michelle Pereira. Michelle, who is Ron’s sister, is a VP at Habitat for Humanity Manitoba. She and Ron discussed her journey to success and the non-profit world in general. They also discussed what Ron

GA 384 | Parenting the Lean Way with Jared Thatcher

By Jessica Bush - August 12th, 2021

This week’s guest is Jared Thatcher. Jared wrote a book on using lean at home, including KPIs and visual management. While you don’t have to be a parent to enjoy this episode, Jared does share some powerful ways lean can im

GA 383 | Giving and Receiving Feedback with Glade Holman

By Jessica Bush - August 5th, 2021

This week’s guest is Glade Holman. Glade has a coaching and consulting background, and he explained his work as a “feedback specialist.” Ron and Glade discussed the nuances of giving and receiving feedback, including

GA 382 | Simplifying Value Stream Mapping with Steve Pereira

By Jessica Bush - July 29th, 2021

This week’s guest is Steve Pereira. Steve and Ron discussed Steve’s minimalist approach to value stream mapping, and how it differs from other approaches. Steve doesn’t have a traditional lean background, but his pers

GA 380 | The Concept of Humble Inquiry with Peter and Ed Schein

By Jessica Bush - July 15th, 2021

This week’s guests are Peter and Ed Schein, prominent figures in the leadership and organizational culture fields. A father-son team, they discussed the books they’ve written, the concept of Humble Inquiry, vulnerability in

GA 377 | Psychological Safety and the 5Cs with Karyn Ross and Jessica House

By Jessica Bush - June 24th, 2021

This week’s guests are Karyn Ross and Jessica House. Karyn and Jessica talked about their work with kindness, mental health, and psychological safety in the workplace. They then walked Ron through the 5Cs and how you can delibera

GA 376 | Navigating Visual Management and the Obeya Method with Greg Woods

By Jessica Bush - June 17th, 2021

This week’s guest is Greg Woods. Ron and Greg talked about the various approaches to visual management, including physical and digital strategies. They also discussed the obeya method and what it entails. An MP3 audio version o

GA 375 | Ending Human Suffering with Process Improvement with Kyle Kumpf

By Jessica Bush - June 10th, 2021

This week’s guest is Kyle Kumpf. Ron and Kyle discussed Kyle’s experience using lean in engineering versus banking, and what he’s learned from the pandemic. Kyle also explained why he wants to use process improvement

GA 374 | Lean, Learning, and Karate with Kieran Dougall

By Jessica Bush - June 3rd, 2021

This week’s guest is Kieran Dougall. Ron and Kieran discussed Kieran’s manufacturing background and how he discovered lean. Kieran also described his experience with karate and how it relates to lean. A MP3 audio version of

GA 373 | Exploring Agile Kanban with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - May 27th, 2021

This week we’re releasing another solo episode by GA Co-Founder Ron Pereira. Ron talks a little bit about our new Agile Kanban course(s), and about the power of Agile Kanban in general. He then breaks down each of the four main p

GA 372 | Lean and Mental Health with Jessica House

By Jessica Bush - May 20th, 2021

This week’s guest is Jessica House. Jessica’s background is in both continuous improvement and mental health, and she explained to Ron how the two worlds intersect. This episode is another great example of the universal app

GA 365 | Adopting a Growth Mindset with Nik Kottha

By Jessica Bush - April 1st, 2021

This week’s guest is Nik Kottha. Ron and Nik covered several important topics, including what Nik has learned from yoga, what excellence means to him, and where his passion comes from. Nik also stressed the importance of coaching

GA 361 | The Role of Entropy in Lean with Luciana Toda

By Jessica Bush - March 4th, 2021

This week’s guest is Luciana Toda. Ron and Luciana discussed the concept of entropy and its role in a culture of continuous improvement. They also explored how sustainability factors in as far as creating real, lasting change. A

GA 358 | Lean in Higher Education with Thomas Lencki and Dagmar Vlahos

By Jessica Bush - February 11th, 2021

This week’s guests are Thomas Lencki and Dagmar Vlahos. They explained all the powerful ways they use lean in higher education in New Hampshire. Thomas and Dagmar also touched on increasing engagement, navigating Covid-era challe

What are Lagging & Leading Indicators? How are they related? Why are they important?

By Steve Kane - January 22nd, 2021

David Barber is CFO of Omni Industries in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. David and the rest of the senior executive team at Omni are leading a lean transformation. He wrote this article for Omni’s company newsletter to help people at

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