Lean Archives | Page 25 of 68

What Does It Mean to Huddle?

By Jon Miller - November 18th, 2019

One of the encouraging trends I’ve seen in the past decade with Lean management is the emerging acceptance of team huddles. While still far from universal, this one simple activity is becoming a core part of the daily practice of

GA 293 | Approaching the Certification Process with Craig Johnson

By Jessica Bush - November 14th, 2019

This week’s guest is Craig Johnson. Ron and Craig discussed the learning and development realm of continuous improvement, as well as the pros and cons to various certification approaches. A MP3 audio version of this episode is av

How to Measure the M in SQDCM

By Jon Miller - November 11th, 2019

The giant letters SQDCM are common sights on visual display boards of teams on the gemba. They stand for the key performance indicator categories of safety, quality, delivery, cost and morale. Visualization of key performance indicator

Question Yourself

By Kevin Meyer - November 8th, 2019

One of my favorite websites, Brain Pickings, recently turned 13. The reason it’s a favorite is because it offers content that is challenging intellectually – but not to the point of not making sense to humble minds like min

Lean Management for the Day After Tomorrow

By Jon Miller - November 4th, 2019

One of the criticisms of lean management is that it doesn’t address innovation. Lean practices build systems for delivering high quality services on-time to customers at lower costs. This is achieved through robust processes, dai

You’re Not the Hero

By Ron Pereira - November 1st, 2019

We continuous improvement practitioners have much to learn from the movie business. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the “storytelling formula” may be one of the most important things we lean thinkers can learn. Most good mo

GA 291 | Understanding Your Suppliers with Denise Meredith

By Jessica Bush - October 31st, 2019

This week’s guest is Denise Meredith. Ron and Denise discussed everything from working with suppliers, to casket manufacturing, to automation. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode yo

10 Behaviors to Practice Respect for People

By Jon Miller - October 28th, 2019

Last week I had the pleasure of facilitating a study mission for a group of leaders from a global manufacturer. We visited several companies. Each was two decades into their lean journey. The host companies were generous in sharing the

GA 290 | The Danger of Being Right with Thomas Frase

By Jessica Bush - October 24th, 2019

This week’s guest is Thomas Frase. Ron and Thomas discussed why you should be careful being right, and some of the best ways to positively influence and connect with people. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for do

Lean Thinking and the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences

By Jon Miller - October 21st, 2019

A few years ago, I read and blogged about the book Poor Economics and the key lessons it offered for change efforts such as Lean transformations. Congratulations are in order to the co-authors who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic S

GA 289 | Combining TWI and Process Behavior Analysis with Panos Efsta

By Jessica Bush - October 17th, 2019

This week’s guest is Panos Efsta. Ron and Panos discussed how TWI and process behavior analysis can be integrated to create a powerful, holistic approach to continuous improvement. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available

When Does “No Idea is a Bad Idea” Become a Bad Idea?

By Jon Miller - October 14th, 2019

Brainstorming is a common method for generating ideas from a group to solve problems. One of the cardinal rules is not to criticize ideas as people raise them. We are reminded, “No idea is a bad idea.” One of the aims of th

The Wisdom of Humility

By Kevin Meyer - October 11th, 2019

Lately I’ve been reflecting 0n the impact of mistakes on leadership, and how important humility becomes to learning from those mistakes. An article in The Washington Post this week describing the humility of Dr. James Peebles,

GA 288 | Adapting to Industry 4.0 with Luke Mullins

By Jessica Bush - October 10th, 2019

This week’s guest is Luke Mullins. Ron and Luke discussed the concept of Industry 4.0, including the challenges both current and future leaders may face as lean evolves. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for downlo

How to Get the Most Out of Your NFL Franchise with TPM

By Jon Miller - October 7th, 2019

The American football season is full swing. The NFL is celebrating 100 years of this game of athletic and mental matchups. As an organization, the NFL is concerned with increasing its income by providing an entertainment product. To th

How to Run Your Own Lean Simulation

By Ron Pereira - October 4th, 2019

If you’ve ever wanted to run your own lean simulation but just aren’t sure how to go about it… you’re in luck. We recently captured a series of videos with our good friends at Kaas Tailored. During our visit,

GA 287 | The Wheel of Sustainability with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - October 3rd, 2019

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Adam explained the Wheel of Sustainability model he developed to help individuals and organizations sustain their improvement efforts. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for downl

More Gems from Gemba-focused Executive VP Kawai

By Jon Miller - September 30th, 2019

In a blog post last year, we described how gemba-focused Toyota Executive VP Kawai spends a typical day at work. In a series of interviews in IT Media, a Japanese online business magazine he continues to drop gems. He was asked about

GA 286 | Lean and Robotic Process Automation with Saif Arshad

By Jessica Bush - September 26th, 2019

This week’s guest is Saif Arshad. Saif works for S&P Global, and he shared how they use lean thinking to improve their processes. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’l

Applying Lean Principles to a Business Planning Meeting

By Jon Miller - September 23rd, 2019

This past week my business partners Kevin Meyer, Ron Pereira and I met face to face over a span of two days. The purpose was long-term business planning, near-term goal-setting and prioritization of supporting projects. The three of us

GA 285 | Learning Four Languages in One Year with Scott Young

By Jessica Bush - September 19th, 2019

This week’s guest is Ultralearning author Scott Young. Ron and Scott discussed the concept of ultralearning, and how Scott has used its principles to accomplish some truly impressive goals. A MP3 audio version of this episode is

How to Be an Effective Change Leader

By Jon Miller - September 16th, 2019

A Knowledge @ Wharton article titled How to be an Effective Organizational Maverick is worthwhile reading continuous improvement leaders, lean managers, change agents or anyone refusing to accept the status quo as the best or only way

Oh, the Mistakes I’ve Made…

By Kevin Meyer - September 13th, 2019

Lately we’ve witnessed what happens when leaders don’t have the emotional intelligence to admit to even the smallest and most originally inconsequential mistakes. This has caused me to reflect on some of mine over the pas

GA 284 | Continuous Improvement in the Fast Food Industry with David Reid

By Jessica Bush - September 12th, 2019

This week’s guest is David Reid. David is a Principal Team Leader at Chick-fil-A, and he shared some of the many ways they’ve incorporated lean into their day-to-day operations. A MP3 audio version of this episode is avai

The Best Indicator of Success with Lean

By Jon Miller - September 9th, 2019

This past week I had the opportunity to walk the gemba of several companies. They ranged from large to small, public to private, across manufacturing and service. Each has been committed to Lean management for more than twenty years. T

Lean

Start your improvement training today.