Lean Archives | Page 29 of 68

Teaching Thinking

By Kevin Meyer - February 8th, 2019

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few. – Shunryu Suzuki A couple of recent Harvard Business Review articles have discussed how higher education isn’t preparing g

GA 253 | Building a Strong Lean Foundation with Mohamed Saleh

By Jessica Bush - February 7th, 2019

This week’s guest is Mohamed Saleh of Hartford HealthCare. Mohamed shared the details of their lean journey, including the dynamic approach they use and how their department is organized. An MP3 version of this episode is avail

The Life-Affirming Science of Tidying Up

By Jon Miller - February 4th, 2019

When book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was published a few years ago, I read it with interest. It describes an unintentional application of 2S principles in the home (sort & straightening / set in order). Author and consu

7 iPhone Tips to Boost Your Personal Productivity

By Ron Pereira - February 1st, 2019

Over the last month I’ve begun to experiment with some personal productivity boosting techniques. You see while I have developed some decent Leader Standard Work practices over the years I still waste(d) far too much time on no

GA 252 | Standard Work in the Office with Steve Ansuini

By Jessica Bush - January 31st, 2019

This week’s guest is Steve Ansuini. Steve discussed his time at Toyota, including how he implemented Standard Work and Job Instruction Breakdowns in the office. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here. In th

How Wrong Should We Be?

By Jon Miller - January 28th, 2019

A Scientific American article titled How Wrong Should You Be? offered an answer to a question that has been in the back of my mind for a long time. Like many answers, this one raises further questions. Taiichi Ohno’s wrote in Wor

What’s the Thinking Behind the Tools

By Steve Kane - January 25th, 2019

I have a small hobby business I run on the weekends. It involves some simple assembly and kitting, which I do in my basement. I’ve come to the point where flow has become the next problem to solve. What’s the Convention

GA 251 | Lean in New Hampshire with Heather Barto and Tommy Lencki Jr.

By Jessica Bush - January 24th, 2019

This week’s guests are Heather Barto and Sergeant Tommy Lencki Jr. Heather and Tommy both work for the state of New Hampshire, and they described their involvement in the state’s continuous improvement initiatives. An MP3 v

New Toyota Kata Resources Page

By Ron Pereira - January 23rd, 2019

Starting this month we are publishing a monthly article on a continuous improvement topic, with an accompanying resources page with resources, videos, and tools to support it. This month’s topic is Toyota Kata (TK) and the Scientific

How to do Direct Observation of Knowledge Work

By Jon Miller - January 21st, 2019

Knowledge workers are people who make their living primarily by thinking. They include software programmers, scientists, academics, physicians, lawyers, engineers, managers, architects, designers, accountants and various other white-co

GA 250 | Using Process Behavior Charts with Mark Graban

By Jessica Bush - January 17th, 2019

This week’s guest is Mark Graban. This is Mark’s sixth episode with us, and this time he discussed his new book, Measures of Success, as well as how Process Behavior Charts can be used in different contexts. An MP3 version

The Importance of Problem Breakdown for New Year’s Resolutions

By Jon Miller - January 14th, 2019

Endings and beginnings are both good times for reflection. Many people set goals for the new year around now. My habit is to carry over most resolutions or personal goals from year to year. A positive way to view this is that there is

Herb Kelleher: Creating Economic Value Based on Human Values

By Kevin Meyer - January 11th, 2019

A legendary CEO, Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, passed away last week. Many articles have already been written memorializing him, including this one by Bill Taylor in the Harvard Business Review and this one by our friend Mark

GA 249 | Lean in Thailand, China, and India with John Chacon

By Jessica Bush - January 10th, 2019

This week’s guest is John Chacon. Ron and John discussed John’s career, specifically his experiences practicing lean in different parts of Asia. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode

The 10 Commandments for a Lean Journey

By Jon Miller - January 7th, 2019

Raymond Chandler was an early 20th-century novelist of detective fiction. Most of his books were turned into movies. Fans of the genre may recall Humphrey Bogart’s iconic portrayal of Chandler’s detective Philip Marlowe. As

The Best of Gemba Academy’s Blog – 2018 Edition

By Ron Pereira - January 4th, 2019

Happy New Year! I pray 2019 is a fantastic year of personal growth and learning for you and yours! Now that 2018 has come and gone I wanted to take the opportunity to revisit the top blog articles from last year. Before we get to t

GA 248 | The Importance of Creativity with Karyn Ross

By Jessica Bush - January 3rd, 2019

This week’s guest is Karyn Ross. Ron and Karyn talked all about the power of creativity, why lean thinkers should focus on it, and how you can learn to be more creative. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download he

Small Improvements Instead of Resolutions for the New Year

By Steve Kane - December 28th, 2018

We’re closing in on the new year, a time when big ideas about improving our lives come to mind. It’s common knowledge that new year’s resolutions typically abandoned by Valentine’s Day. Taking on too much

GA 247 | Using Lean in the U.S. Air Force with Greg Butler

By Jessica Bush - December 27th, 2018

This week’s guest is Senior Master Sergeant Greg Butler. Greg shared how he and his team use lean in the U.S. Air Force, some of the barriers to success he’s observed, and countermeasures you can use. An MP3 version of this

GA 246 | How to Admit When You’re Struggling with Gary Peterson

By Jessica Bush - December 20th, 2018

This week’s guest is Gary Peterson. Gary talked about his company O.C. Tanner’s lean journey, and shared some vulnerable anecdotes about failure, asking for help, and owning up to your mistakes. An MP3 version of this epi

A Day in the Life of a Gemba-focused Executive VP

By Jon Miller - December 17th, 2018

One of the essential principles of lean management is go to gemba. This is far more than literally going to the scene of the problem when doing root cause analysis or going the occasional gemba walk. It is an “ism” or philo

GA 245 | How to Coach Leaders to Coach Others with Jamie Parker

By Jessica Bush - December 13th, 2018

This week’s guest is Jamie Parker. Ron and Jamie talked about Jamie’s career thus far, the importance of having an impact on others, and how to help leaders develop a team of problem solvers. An MP3 version of this episode

Respect for “Respect for Human Nature”

By Jon Miller - December 10th, 2018

There are three main perspectives on the lean thinking pillar of respect for people. First, respect for people means that all stakeholders deserve respect. A business does not prosper long-term focusing only on a few of them while igno

Avoid the Arbitrary Constraints of Time

By Kevin Meyer - December 7th, 2018

It’s that time of the year again when many people ask “where did the year go?” and furiously try to wrap up projects, crank out potentially unnecessary production, create plans and budgets for next year, and perhaps s

GA 244 | How to Teach Kata in the Classroom with Mike Rother

By Jessica Bush - December 6th, 2018

This week’s guest is Mike Rother. Mike actually interviewed Ron for this episode, and the two of them discussed scientific thinking and Ron’s experience facilitating a kata workshop for kids. An MP3 version of this episode

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