Article

What's your problem

You learn through solving problems, failing, reflecting on failure, and adjusting course. That quote sounds like something from Deming or Toyota. But, no, that’s from…

by John Shook

Case Study

Standardized Work Hangs Ten with San Diego’s Surfing Culture -- Meeting the Challenges of Leadership, Culture, and Resistance

Instead of wiping out with a Southern California surfing school, the lean management principle of standardized had a positive impact, helping it boost surfing time…

by Doug Bartholomew

Article

How do I quantify kaizen's small improvements?

Dear Gemba Coach: How do I quantify kaizen's small improvements?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Never Fail...To Create the Conditions for People to be Successful

In this excerpt from Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, Katie Anderson shares the story of how Isao Yoshino learned first-hand the value that Toyota…

by Katie Anderson

Article

Show Respect by Exploring Problems With Your Workers

I trust that all of us want to show respect for people, writes Jim Womack, adding: The challenge for those of us in the Lean…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

What Level of a Problem Requires an A3?

Here are some thoughts to help you determine what type of problem you have, and how to apply A3 thinking to it most productively. You…

Article

Is agile project management simply lean thinking applied to software development?

Dear Gemba Coach: You seem to distinguish between agile and lean, but to my understanding, agile is simply lean thinking applied to software development. Am…

by Michael Ballé

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

Selling Lean

Thousands of people have spent decades trying to disseminate lean management concepts. Many lean proponents can point to results showing lean’s advantages over traditional modern…

Article

The Hidden Value of Filling Out the Paperwork

Respect for people--and sustained continuous improvement--begins with something as simple as carefully filling out the paperwork for standardized work, says Josh Howell.

by Josh Howell

Article

The Chief Cause of Problems is Solutions

"In complex organizations, we [oversimplify] problems, try to fix them as painlessly as possible, cross our fingers, and move on to the next fire," writes…

by Brent Wahba

Article

Leadership Q&A: Dan Ariens, CEO of Ariens Co.

From the LEI senior executive series on lean leadership:In the late 1990s, Ariens Co.faced a blizzard of problems. The iconic maker of snow blowers, mowers,…

by George Taninecz

Page

Problem-Solving

Explore the process that’s foundational to assuring every individual becomes engaged by arming them with methods they can use to overcome obstacles and improve their work process.…

Page

Custom Training

In our customized coaching and learning experiences, we guide you, your team, or your company through the practical application of lean principles and practices, so…

Article

Lean Business-IT Integration, Part Two: Obstacles to Value-Stream Transformation

In this, the second of a five part series, LEI faculty member Steve Bell offers a framework to help overcome the common obstacles to a…

by Steve Bell

Article

Standard Work Roundup

Several terrific articles have appeared recently, emphasizing the importance and complexity of a key lean practice: standard (or standardized) work, which we’ll call SW. So…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

It’s About the Tools, Not the Terms

"I’ve never been a big fan of lean lingo," says John McCullough of Crayola. "It may sound expert-like, but I’ve always found its use to…

by John McCullough

Article

Developing a Problem-Solving Culture at Herman Miller: An Interview with Lean Practitioners George Mason and Dan Bos

In this interview from the Lean Coaching Summit in December 2012, George Mason, a Herman Miller Performance System (HMPS) manager, and Dan Bos, an operations…

by Lex Schroeder

Article

Making the World Better by Advancing Lean Thinking and Practice

When establishing a scholarship and philanthropy fund, the Lean Enterprise Institute practices what it preaches.

by Patricia Panchak

Article

Advice from the Gemba: Top Mistakes Lean Leaders Make I

Making mistakes is a natural part of lean thinking and practice. Here, three LEI faculty members share some common, yet easily avoidable mistakes made by…

by Alice Lee, Jim Luckman and Sammy Obara