Article
Will changing the standard for supervisors' morning gemba walks make them pay more attention?
Dear Gemba Coach, We have a standard gemba walk for supervisors to check their areas every morning. I’ve noticed that after a while, they tick the…
View article
Article
What Lean Thinkers Think About The Gold Mine
Questions and comments†from readers to co-author Michael BallÈ about his book The Gold Mine.
View article Article
Creating Lean Healthcare
Ten years ago this month I made a visit to the Mayo Clinic’s large medical complex in Rochester, Minnesota. I was not there as a…
View article Article
Isn’t the obsession with problem solving unnecessarily negative and depressing?
Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t the obsession with problem solving unnecessarily negative and depressing?
View article Article
Ask Art: Is there a balance between lean and full automation?
As a followup to his piece last month dealing with another aspect of lean and automation, Art Byrne now explores the oft-misunderstood balance between the…
View article
Article
Ask Art: What Are the Most Important Management Changes Needed to Implement A Lean Turnaround?
Lean thinking requires a totally different mindset than traditional management, argues lean veteran Art Byrne. This is probably the most significant reason that companies fail…
View article
Article
Faster than a Speeding Kanban...
"All of us living in Leanworld are well-trained to look for problems, identify gaps, and cure root causes," writes Brent Wahba. But if that's true,…
View article
Article
What Do Sensei Actually Do?
What do lean sensei do? Take you to the gemba, discuss what the real challenges are, prescribe exercises, teach PDCA, and push you to the…
View article
Article
Leadership Q&A: Gary Peterson, executive vice president, supply chain and operations, O.C. Tanner
From the LEI senior executive series on lean leadership:Gary Peterson, executive vice president, supply chain and production at O.C. Tanner, describes how the manufacturer of corporate…
View article Article
The Problem of Sustainability
I recently got a call from an old friend who led one of the first lean implementation efforts in healthcare in the mid-1990s. He has…
View article Article
How to Handle Fire Fighting, Process Averse Cultures, Naysayers, and More
Summit attendees hosted their own conversations on lean thinking and practice last week, identifying challenges and opportunities for Lean within their organizations. Check out the…
View article
Article
What are the key factors within an obeya room?
Dear Gemba Coach: On YouTube and in books there is a lot about A3 storyboards. Did you ever see them used to share people's plans…
View article Article
Intentional Respect
"Most organizations fail to intentionally balance the technical tools side with the social side of Lean," writes Mike Orzen. "People say, 'We respect our people.…
View article
Article
Lean Transformation? Not Buying It
Companies often describe their transformation efforts in terms of an end-state: focusing on targeted results. They see transformation as a noun--a specific target or condition…
View article
Article
Ask Art: Why do you say the CEO needs to become a lean expert?
A key first step for any CEO leading a lean conversion is to call 1-800-lean-consultant to find an expert to train the VP of operations…
View article
Article
Ask Art: Why Focus on Why When Doing A Lean Turnaround?
In switching to lean, understanding the WHY is the most important thing, argues Art Byrne. It helps people overcome their traditional beliefs about how something…
View article
Article
Performance versus costs, part 2
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve read your recent column on performance versus cost with great interest, as I believe we’re currently having a similar discussion at management…
View article Article
I fail to see the difference between hoshin kanri and the strategic planning we used to do. What am I missing?
Dear Gemba Cocah: My boss has hired a consultant to take us through the Hoshin Kanri process. So far, I fail to see the difference…
View article Article
You Are Not Different: Make universal lean principles work locally
Lean principles are universal, argues Orry Fiume, but the application of them is always local. Don't use this challenge as an excuse to avoid Lean.
View article
Article
Managing to Reboot Leadership
"Despite sweeping changes to the business environment and real threats to organizational sustainability, too many managers remain stuck in traditional management roles and systems," writes…
View article