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How do we solicit feedback from the shop floor without being overwhelmed by the enormous amount of ideas?
Dear Gemba Coach: I think we all know that the "suggestion box" has gone by the wayside. How do we solicit feedback from the shop…
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Why haven't lean tools changed our culture?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m part of a team that has been tasked to implement lean tools across the company to drive continuous improvement actions, and…
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What's the lean take on learning?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our previous CEO used to preach “servant leadership,” but now’s he’s left and the new style is far more traditional command and…
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How Do I Measure People Development?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is the metric for people development?
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Where can I find information about visual management?
Dear Gemba Coach: I can’t find much written about visual management although it seems an important part of lean – any idea where to look?
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Any thoughts about lean and Industry 4.0?
Dear Gemba Coach: What about lean and digital? Any thoughts? And on Industry 4.0?
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After improving processes with help from a consultant, how do I sustain kaizen in my department? My teams are hard to motivate.
Dear Gemba Coach: How do I sustain kaizen in my department? We’ve had a consultant help us with workshops, and we did improve our processes,…
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The Trouble with Lean Experts
Dear Gemba Coach: I run a Lean Promotion Office (LPO) and my team mostly conducts kaizen events across the company. We are usually seen as successful…
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How do I implement standard work in an office environment?
Dear Gemba Coach: I really enjoyed reading your article on the difference between standard work and procedures back in December. It really helped clarify the…
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How big should my lean promotion office be?
Dear Gemba Coach: How large should my lean promotion office be if I want to achieve quickly a lean culture change?
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Is there a lean strategy?
Dear Gemba Coach: My team demonstrated the benefits of kaizen to the CEO who then asked us what our strategy was. Is there a lean…
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How do we get started with lean tools in new product development?
Dear Gemba Coach: My company already has a deep rooted lean culture. However, it would seem that the next evolution would be in my department,…
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Two managers I relied on a lot are still fighting a two-year-old pull system and creating a lot of conflict on the team. Is this normal?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m two years into establishing a pull system through my plant and two of my key managers are still fighting the system…
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Is there a spiritual dimension to lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: Is there a spiritual dimension to lean?
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Applying Lean Thinking and Practice to Systemic Racism, Part 2 of 2
To create anti-racist organizations to fit, value, and respect all people, leaders should step forward with a sound vision framed by the five principles of…
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Ask Art: Will Lean Work for a Distributor?
Pairing distribution companies with Lean may seem counterintuitive to some. However author of The Lean Turnaround, Art Byrne, says this match actually makes perfect sense.
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Tapping Technology to Boost the Power of Lean: A Talk with Jeff Liker and Jim Morgan
What principles should guide lean thinkers as they introduce digital tools into their work? How about people, processes, and purpose, say Jeff Liker and Jim…
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Leadership Q&A: Thomas Hartman, Senior Director, Autoliv Americas
From the LEI senior executive series on Lean Leadership: Autoliv’s Thomas Hartman describes the development of a lean problem solving culture, from early instruction by…
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Leaning Healthcare
Healthcare is the next great industry to begin the Lean journey. The existing model in which the hospital doctor acting as a skilled craftsperson effectively…
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Frontiers of Lean
It is eighteen years since the first western firm, Danaher in the USA, began its lean journey guided by disciples of Taiichi Ohno, the architect…
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