Article
3 Common Problems in Government that A3 Thinking Can Help Solve
I’m always surprised at how little the public sector uses A3 thinking to tackle their toughest challenges. It’s the same thing every time – the…
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Article
Ask Art: What Does a Lean Manager Do Differently?
"The lean leader has a vision for growth just like the traditional manager, but he sees the source of growth quite differently," writes Art Byrne.…
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Article
The Lean Management System: The Key to Sustainability and CI, an Interview with Joe Murli
Achieving wins is only half the battle in a lean transformation - you also need a way to sustain those wins and foster a culture…
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Article
LEI's New Indicator That Can't Lie
I’m often asked by operations managers how they can know if their firm is really getting lean. My answer is simple: Just check your inventory…
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Article
The Best of The Lean Post 2013: Top Posts
It's time to look back on the best posts of 2013 (as determined by you, Lean Post readers). Which articles did you expect to make…
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Article
Raised by Toyota: A Question and Answer with Tracey and Ernie Richardson
In this extended interview, Toyota veterans Tracey and Ernie Richardson share how they learned at the source, explain how they apply their lessons widely (including…
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Video
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways – on a Valentine’s Day A3
The question lean practitioners Tracy and Ernie Richardson get more than any other isn’t about problem-solving, takt time, standardization, or their book. It’s about their…
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Article
A More Prepared Coach
"Many coaching situations we enter...with so little knowledge about the situation and how things work," writes Josh Howell. "Instead we rely on our wits and…
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Article
Why Creating Products Customers Actually Want Requires a Great Process
80% of the cost (and hence, waste) is committed for a new product or service by the time product designs get locked-in during development. Still,…
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Article
Why Leadership and "Respect" Are Fundamentally Entwined
Hear the word "respect" and most of us can think of a time we've wanted our boss, team member, or employee to "be more respectful."…
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Article
The Tipping Point?
Early efforts to apply lean principles to healthcare faltered and for many years the challenge seemed to be too great. It took time and many…
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How do you define respect for people?
Dear Gemba Coach: Can you be more specific about “respect” in lean? The term is being used in our company but I fear it sounds…
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Freedom
Dear Gemba Coach: I work for a large governmental organization that has decided to do lean. I have been interested in lean for some time, yet…
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Am I doing lean right? How can I tell?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m spending a lot of time at the gemba, but how do I know if I’m doing lean right?
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Why We're Thankful For Lean
Thanksgiving is a time of year when Americans take a day to step back and appreciate everything they have to be thankful for. Here at…
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Article
Let the Work Define the Process
We’re all short on time, but think for a moment with your team about the real work to be done in any process you’re working…
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Article
How NOT to Jump to Solutions When Facing A Problem
Dan Markovitz argues that productive leaders solve problems by leveraging a deep understanding of the facts, buffering them from the temptation to jump to solutions.…
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Article
Tap the Power of Flow to Develop Lean Thinkers
Flow is personal--a moment of enrichment, and a mental state. It´s stretching oneself just that little bit extra, not because someone else tells us to,…
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Podcast
Becoming the Change: Talking Healthcare Transformation with Kim Barnas and John Toussaint on the WLEI Podcast
In this WLEI podcast, Becoming the Change authors Kim Barnas and John Toussaint discuss the personal challenges facing healthcare leaders who are committed to the…
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Article
Real Respect Feels Like Knowing You've Been Heard
Showing respect by actively listening to others--being present in mind and body, consciously attending to what is said, connecting with the person not just the…
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