Lean Archives | Page 40 of 68

How to Convince Someone, or Not

By Jon Miller - January 2nd, 2017

Have you ever noticed that when you present people with facts that are contrary to their deepest held beliefs they always change their minds? Me neither. So begins a Scientific American article on how to convince someone when facts fa

GA 143 | Embracing the Fear of Failure with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - December 29th, 2016

This week is our last episode of 2016. Join Ron as he discusses failure, specifically our fear of it. Featuring an empowering message from Jocko Willink, a retired US Navy SEAL, this episode is a great way to kick off the new year. An

GA 142 | How to Engage People with Jess Orr

By Jessica Bush - December 22nd, 2016

This week’s guest is Jess Orr, a Six Sigma Black Belt at WestRock, a large packaging company. Ron and Jess discussed Jess’s Toyota background and the importance of employee engagement. An MP3 version of this episode is a

Lean Practices to Counter Cognitive Biases

By Jon Miller - December 19th, 2016

The Knowledge@Wharton interview with Michael Lewis, the author of The Undoing Project, was interesting for several reasons. First, it covered cognitive biases, one of my favorite topics. Second, the book is about Amos Tversky and Dani

Facing the Firing Squad

By Steve Kane - December 16th, 2016

By Steve Kane I recently had the opportunity to watch a value stream mapping training event in an administrative process. These types of events are enjoyable for me because I always learn something new. The lesson learned th

GA 141 | Practicing Continuous Improvement in Japan with Zuhara Chavez

By Jessica Bush - December 15th, 2016

This week’s guest is Zuhara Chavez, an Industrial Engineer and PhD student. Zuhara is currently living in Japan, researching mapping tools and other continuous improvement concepts. Ron and Zuhara discussed her work, what cont

Coming Soon: The Toyota Engagement Equation

By Jon Miller - December 12th, 2016

I’ve always loved hearing stories and insights from the early days of Toyota’s building their lean culture. Tracey and Ernie Richardson were there in 1986 when Toyota started up the first US factory in Georgetown, Kentucky

GA 140 | How to Use Your Lean Skill Set in Different Settings with John Chacon

By Jessica Bush - December 8th, 2016

This week’s guest is John Chacon, Continuous Improvement Advisor at Black & Veatch and a former U.S. Marine. Ron and John discussed John’s lean journey, specifically how he has applied his skills to the different phas

How Children Can Help Us Become Better Lean Leaders

By Jon Miller - December 5th, 2016

Lean thinking as a concept has been around for two decades since the publication of Lean Thinking by Womack & Jones. In practice, it existed before publication in a few parts of the world, and still does not exist in vast parts o

A Change of Pace

By Kevin Meyer - December 2nd, 2016

One of my favorite habits is a nice slow kinhin – walking meditation – on the beach a couple blocks from my house. One step per breath, slow and deliberate. It’s amazing what you notice – both about your surroundings and your

GA 139 | How to Use Job Breakdowns with Kyle House

By Jessica Bush - December 1st, 2016

This week’s guest is Kyle House, a lean practitioner with a TWI background. Ron and Kyle explored the Job Breakdown aspect of Job Instruction, specifically how to use the breakdowns and why they’re helpful. An MP3 version

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

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

GA 135 | Lessons Learned in the Mud with Steve Kane

By Jessica Bush - November 3rd, 2016

This week’s guest is Steve Kane, our Director of Customer Success. Steve recently participated in a Tough Mudder challenge and learned some lessons that have great applications to lean. An MP3 version of this episode is availabl

A Five-letter Recipe for a Non-Fail Presidency

By Jon Miller - October 31st, 2016

Barely eight days remain until the American voters elects the adult human who will serve as the next President of the United States. It has been an ugly process to narrow it down to the two major candidates, with all due respect to th

GA 134 | How to Apply Lean to Finance with Tiago Salgado

By Jessica Bush - October 27th, 2016

Today’s guest is Tiago Salgado, a lean practitioner from Portugal. Ron and Tiago talked about the intersection of lean and finance, and about Tiago’s personal lean journey. An MP3 version of this episode is available for d

For Continuous Improvement, Think Like a Child

By Jon Miller - October 24th, 2016

Listening to a Freakonomics Radio episode titled Think Like a Child reminded me of the words of a TPS sensei. When a kaizen team was faced with puzzling process failures, complex problems, or a need for innovative designs, sensei

Lean Lessons from Tough Mudder

By Steve Kane - October 21st, 2016

By Steve Kane May 2016 I had the bright idea that I’d register for the Michigan Tough Mudder Mud Run, then find a way to get in shape (ready, fire, aim). I had seen ads and social media posts from finishers and thought t

Lean

Start your improvement training today.