Article

Lean Product Development is About Thinking Horizontally in a Vertical World

Check out the blog from Day 2 of the Lean Product and Process Development Exchange (North America) conference in Durham, North Carolina. Excerpts from Jim…

by Lex Schroeder

Article

Maximizing People Systems in a Lean Transformation

Don't make the mistake of overlooking the important role that human resources plays in a lean transformation. Learn how to align HR policies and practices…

by Doug Bartholomew

Article

Accounting for the Right Reasons

My first job after graduating from Purdue University was as a manufacturing engineer with the Japanese company, Aisin Seiki. Aisin U.S.A. was in the process…

Article

Exploring the Technical and Nontechnical Challenges of Being a Chief Engineer, A Candid Conversation with Two CEs

Chief engineers typically have strong technical skills to effectively lead and manage the work of engineers, designers, and other developers. But perhaps their greatest talent…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

How Can I Address the Conflict that Lean Creates?

Dear Gemba Coach, I have just finished reading The Lean Manager, and I was very taken by the chapter on teamwork. I am a lean…

by Michael Ballé

Book

The Gold Mine (Audio CD)

The Gold Mine deftly weaves together the technical and human pieces of implementing lean manufacturing in an engaging story that readers will find both compelling and…

by Freddy Ballé and Michael Ballé

Article

Ask Art: Is Lean a Good Cost-Reduction Program?

A point-by-point comparison demonstrates why lean thinking and practice is a business strategy, not merely a cost-cutting strategy.

by Art Byrne

Article

Be Prepared to Change Your Habits

LEI Coach Danielle Blais likens lean learning to something we all know something about: starting a new exercise routine or health regimen. Are you interested…

by Danielle McGuiness

Podcast

Avoiding Lean 'Flatlining': A Podcast with Mark Deluzio, Art Byrne, and Jim Womack

Mark Deluzio, lean consultant, practitioner, and author of Flatlined, discusses enduring challenges with Art Byrne and Jim Womack on this WLEI podcast.

by Lean Leaper

Video

Baby Steps for Behavior Change

Don't start with a 20-mile run! Effective change often begins with small tweaks to behavior, which build on one another and grow self-efficacy in the…

by BJ Fogg

Article

Experiential Change: Using PDCA to craft a new department structure

"In January 2016 the Human Resources department at the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) was restructured into a High-Impact Model," writes Brian Cole, Manager…

by Brian Cole

Article

The Hard Work of Making Hard Work Easier

We persevere by struggling to overcome the challenges of hard work, argues Mark Reich. And, he says it is also our responsibility, as coaches and…

by Mark Reich

Article

Enabling Change Through the Power of Story

Roberto Priolo, editor of Planet Lean, shares why not just reflection, but writing (and storytelling) is so helpful for the lean practitioner. In short, a…

by Roberto Priolo

Podcast

Surviving CEO Change, Evolving Through Culture and Being a Humble Leader

Dr. Mahaniah was kind enough to sit down with LEI’s Chairman, John Shook to talk about growing up in different cultures, from the Congonese to…

by Kiame Mahaniah, MD and John Shook

Article

How to Change a Culture: Lessons From NUMMI

The editors of MIT Sloan Management Review honored LEI CEO John Shook with the 2011 Beckhard Memorial Award for the best article on organizational development…

by John Shook

Article

Summit Reflections: Knowing What You Need to Improve

"As leaders, sometimes the things that we feel like we can more easily change are not the things that we need to change," writes Katie…

by Katie Anderson

Article

What Type of a Leader Do You Choose to Be?

Plenty of people want to become better leaders. Few people want to change. Michael Bremer shares his advice for more effective lean leadership by way…

by Michael Bremer

Article

PDCA, Fitness Apps, and Using Social Media to Improve Our Health

"Health isn't about always being perfect," writes lean coach Tracey Richardson. "Just like in our organizations, we all have imperfect days. It’s how we change…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

Getting a Jump on Unplanned Changes

Andrew Quibbell, veteran of the auto industry, uses graphic recording to share lean concepts. Here's a visual of how Quibbell teaches change point management on…

by Andrew Quibell

Article

Why Managing Emotions at Work Matters

True effectiveness in the workplace – innovation, change, enhanced customer experience - requires an acknowledgement of how emotions interface with outcomes, says author Susan David.…