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Identifying the Organizational Problem and Opportunity at Community Servings
Lean is first and foremost about learning by doing, so during summer 2012, the LEI team headed to Community Servings (the gemba) to learn its…
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Article
Advice from the Gemba: Top Mistakes Lean Leaders Make III
Mistakes are just a part of lean, even for leaders. Luckily they're also a great opportunity for improvement. Today three lean practitioners share mistakes they…
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Video
Getting the Right Product Right, and Other Product Development Trends
As a lean product and process development coach John Drogosz, PhD, works closely with companies in a variety of industries that are redesigning development systems…
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Article
We Have Been (Lean) Thinking
In the many years since we launched Lean Thinking, events amply confirm our long-held view that managers will try anything easy that doesnít work before…
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Public-Private Partnerships Lead To More Effective Government in WA
Since 2012, Washington state government has received more than 2,000 hours of volunteer advice, training, coaching, and/or facility tours from 132 lean experts representing 51…
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Article
Real Leaders Think and Act Differently
Are your management routines and Gemba Walks suffering from the superficial observations of the day-tripper? Or are your leaders adding real value to your employees,…
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Governance Matters
"The very term “governance” seems somewhat antithetical to lean," writes Mark Hamel. "Yet...over my 20-plus years of lean learning, I’ve witnessed a lot of implementation…
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The Ingredients of Lean
Lean practitioner Steve Brenneman finds shared values in his Mennonite faith and his lean practice: a strong set of values like community over individual, thriftiness…
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Lean Roundup: Respect for People
Respect for People is one of the most abstract and yet most concrete tenets of lean, a guiding principle that informs how people work, coach,…
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Article
Lean Was a Lot Simpler Back in the Day...
Lean transformations aren't easy. But, according to Brent Wahba, they weren't always that way. In his newest Post, Brent discusses his thoughts on what has…
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Article
Passing the Baton
Jim Womack and John Shook reflect on passing the baton of leadership at the Lean Enterprise Institute
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Lean Labor Relations and The Customer First Principle
Here’s the scene: A production line at a car and truck manufacturing plant is stalling several times a day resulting in serious workflow issues. Read…
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Talking Lean with a Neuroscientist
How do we turn large, complicated, risky projects into catalysts for learning and innovation? Lean IT expert Steve Bell reflects on this question after an…
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Any step forward in a lean transformation is a good step -- right?
Dear Gemba Coach: Surely a step forward in a lean transformation is a good thing, even if it’s not completely in the right direction?
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Stability Before Innovation
Given its foundational strengths of stable and robust product development, production, supplier development, and general management system, Toyota is well poised to deliver innovative solutions…
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More than a New Product – A New Way of Thinking
"Successful entrepreneurs, whether they are lone figures toiling in garages or supporting new work at major companies, are rightly celebrated for creating hit products," says…
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Don't Gloat Too Quickly - If This Could Happen to Toyota, It Could Happen to You ...
Okay, so how do you respond to a "crisis"? My recent encouragement to Toyota President Akio Toyoda that "It isn't the crisis, it's how you respond…
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All Lean Is Local
When I think about the idea of “all lean is local,” I think about the fundamental entry point questions for any lean thinker in any…
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Article
Do You Have a Capacity Problem or Flow Problem?
"Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the exact root cause of a problem," writes Adam Hillsamer of Arnett Hospital in Indiana, "especially when one is masquerading…
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Problem Solving Fast and Slow
"There are many paradoxes about the Toyota Production System," writes Ben Root. "Speed is certainly one of them. 'Do it slowly, but quickly.'" Read more.
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