Tips for Lean Managers Archives | Page 10 of 22

10 Ways that Kaizen Develops Better Leaders

By Jon Miller - February 15th, 2009

Here are ten ways that kaizen develops better leaders. #1 Attention The leader well-heeled in kaizen notices the small things and is bothered by them if they seem abnormal. They pay attention to details. #2 Vision The practice of kaize

The Lean Workplace as Classroom

By Jon Miller - February 12th, 2009

The the Harvard Business Review article Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System Kent Bowen and Steven Spear describe Toyota as a “community of scientists” based on the their approach to management. Specifically, th

Kaizen Skills of an Operations Leader

By Jon Miller - February 4th, 2009

Stephen Ondoro is a newly appointed operations leader who asked: “I have been chosen as an operations leader yet it has not been clarified as to the role and scope. What kaizen skills do i need to lead my team successfully? Pleas

How to Arrive at the Vital Few

By Jon Miller - February 2nd, 2009

Alex asked a question “How do organizations determine the ‘vital few’? Any small number of activities that have the largest impact in relation to business planning, launching an TPS implementation project or simply ge

The Essential Lean Blogosphere of 2008

By Jon Miller - January 8th, 2009

Welcoming A New Voice As one of the elder statesmen of the lean community, John Shook is an important new voice to join the lean blogosphere in 2008. In this weekly post he takes a deep look at what give Toyota strength and flexibility

Yaruki: The Will to Win Even in Tough Times

By Jon Miller - December 28th, 2008

RC Bhargava, the Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India recounts the story of Maruti Suzuki and how the company overcame several challenges over the past decades by building a team-based management culture. In an India Times article titled Thin

The PIT Factor in Change Management

By Jon Miller - September 14th, 2008

Forwarded from our mail server to my e-mail inbox tonight was a quote from science fiction author Frank Herbert: “The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.” It se

Do You Want to Go Far or Go Fast on Your Lean Journey?

By Jon Miller - September 12th, 2008

There is a proverb from the continent of Africa, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.” I was reminded of it this week. Companies eager to implement lean manufacturing quickly will put th

5 Seemingly Innocent Questions You Never Want to Hear in a Lean Deployment

By Jon Miller - August 20th, 2008

These are 5 seemingly innocent questions which in fact you never want to hear in a lean deployment. If you do hear them this does not mean your efforts are doomed, only that the thinking behind what is lean and why we are doing it may

The Wedge is the Simplest of Tools

By Jon Miller - August 12th, 2008

The wedge is the simplest of tools. A wedge has a flat end and a pointy end. A wedge converts a blunt, general force into a sharp, narrowly focused force. A wedge is very effective at separating things, breaking things apart or dividin

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