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Back to Basics: Jim Womack on Why You Should Never Create an A3 Alone
In this eletter from 2008, Jim Womack (in honor of the then-recent publication of "Managing to Learn") shares invaluable advice for a problem that too…
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Rosie the Riveter vs. Rosie the Robot
In this pithy yet wide-ranging discussion, Bruce Hamilton, president of GBMP and star of the hugely popular training video Toast Kaizen, discusses the entertaining video's…
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Following The Toyota Way, For Better Or Worse
The article and audio present an overview of how Toyota is dealing with its worst year since the 1930s. The company has cut production to keep…
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The Missing Link
There is a missing link between the world’s brilliant objects – now cheaper and better in many cases because of lean thinking applied to their…
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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…
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Lean concepts that help you eliminate waste and create flow in your own work
Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member Dan Markovitz, an expert on improving personal performance, explains how the lean principles of 5S and visual management make you…
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Striking With The Zen Stick
A key part of lean coaching is the practice of striking with a zen stick, says Dan Prock. This helps break people out of their…
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Learning from Managing to Learn
It has been about four months since the release of Managing to Learn, now already in its second printing. I’ve received incredible response from many…
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Yokoten Across the World
The trick to yokoten, the term Toyota uses for the horizontal transfer of information and knowledge across an organization, is to be sure that someone…
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4 Core Principles of Lean Product and Process Development Explained
The ability to consistently create “insanely great” products, as Steve Jobs would say, is the ultimate competitive advantage. But many companies struggle to develop profitable…
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The Wonder of Level Pull
Many years ago in Toyota City I first witnessed the twin concepts of level production and the smooth pull of needed items throughout a complex…
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Making Things Better - Lean Streets: Improving Road Maintenance in Washington State
Ever feel like your home city or town needs to step up its game in maintaining road conditions? People in Washington State certainly have -…
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Lean Accounting’s Acceptance Makes Slow, Steady Headway in Academia
Professor Gerald DeBusk, PhD, winner of an Excellence in Lean Accounting Award from the Lean Enterprise Institute, reflects on the progress -- or lack of…
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Rebuilding Homes and Disaster Recovery Processes
When Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenburg left their careers to help desperate victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild, they knew nothing about construction or lean management.…
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2008 in Summary: A Large Enough Wave Swamps All Boats
We all know the phrase, "a rising tide lifts all boats", and this was true during the world economic bubble of the last few years.…
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The “Right Sequence” for Implementing Lean
One of the best things about leading the Lean Enterprise Institute is that I travel widely to learn how things are going across the Lean…
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The Worst Form of Muda
One of the souvenirs I collect on my visits to different countries is special reasons why lean is impossible in each country. This is all…
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What do you actually do on the gemba?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is it you actually do on the gemba?
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Why A3s Won’t Work in My Organization (Part One)
Coach Eric Ethington shares obstacles you may be encountering as you implement A3 thinking--and suggests ways to proceed.
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The Value of Key Performance Indicators in a Lean Transformation
We all know to watch out for key performance indicators (KPIs) in the workplace - but are you tracking the RIGHT KPIs? Ernie and Tracey…
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