Article

How do I quantify kaizen's small improvements?

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

by Michael Ballé

Article

As a facilitator, how much do I have to know about an area targeted for improvement?

Dear Gemba Coach: As a lean "facilitator" in my organization, how important is it to gain a deep understanding of the "area" that is being…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Ask Art: What Was Danaher Like In the Early Days of Lean?

In this personal account of launching lean at Danaher, Art Byrne shares a wealth of insights into how to seed an enduring lean culture and…

by Art Byrne

Article

Why We Believe We Have All the Bricks to Build Our Future

In this wide-ranging article, lead author Catherine Chabiron and her fellow Lean Sensei Women propose a number of ways to tackle the new emerging challenges…

by Lean Sensei Women

Article

Book Value: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Is clutter at work or at home getting you down? LEI Senior Editor Tom Ehrenfeld reviews Marie Kondo's new book, "The Life Changing Magic of…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

Ask Art: What Do You Mean When You Say Run Your Company On Your Operational Excellence Goals?

The Lean company competes on its operational excellence goals, says Art Byrne. These stretch goals must be aggressive in nature and deployed down to every…

by Art Byrne

Article

How to Develop Healthy Habits for Mindful Coaching

Powerful lean coaches help others create productive habits that over time produce a type of "muscle memory" that forms a foundation for long-term growth and…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Launching and Sustaining a Lean “Pop-Up”

"It’s not unusual for a lean leader or lean practitioner to feel alone, especially in a company or enterprise early in its lean journey," writes…

by Doug Bartholomew

Case Study

Knife Company Hones Competitiveness by Bucking the Status Quo

Family-owned Buck Knives needed to reduce costs by at least 30% to keep its U.S. operations open. In turning to lean, the company gained more than…

by Tonya Vinas

Case Study

Lean Thinking in Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Takes Wing at FedEx Express

The FedEx Express lean initiative at its repair and maintenance facility at Los Angeles International Airport just began in December 2007 but has produced some…

by Doug Bartholomew

Case Study

Sustain Your Lean Business System with a “Golden Triangle”

When medical device maker Phase 2 fought off an overseas challenge by meeting the global price, margins took a big hit. With help from customer…

by Chet Marchwinski

Case Study

Toyota Partners with Nonprofit to Rebuild Homes and Lives

When the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina receded, they uncovered tens of thousands of ruined homes in devastated areas like St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. But…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

What's Your Lean Origin Story? And Why Does It Matter?

I’m wondering, as a leader and a coach, how can I help others develop similar routines, propagating, for example, the principle of 'work/er first' or…

by Josh Howell

Case Study

Build Your “House” of Production on a Stable Foundation

Faced with downtime on key pieces of sophisticated equipment in a machine-intensive environment, Delphi's Plant 1 launched a successful improvement effort by focusing on rigorous…

Case Study

Making Lean Leaders -- Ariens Internship Program Develops Lean Management and Leadership Skills in Everyone

Besides making snow-blowers, mowers, and string trimmers, Ariens Co., of Brillion, WI, makes lean leaders. An internal lean internship program steeps factory and front-office associates…

Article

The Birth of Lean: How Practices, Principles, and Tools Came Together as a System

Toyota was struggling to survive when Taiichi Ohno and a handful of innovators began experimenting with methods that ultimately became the Toyota Production System. The…

Article

4Ps Prove Lean Applies Everywhere

Trainer Tracey Richardson explains how four deep principles reveal how lean thinking applies to any organization. 

Article

Create Constancy of Purpose

Looking back on the admirable work of two lean leaders who established constancy of purpose, Jim Womack asks: what would have happened to the world…

Case Study

Herman Miller’s Experiment in Excellence

With initial support from the Toyota Supplier Support Center, Herman Miller cultivates experimental thinkers who make process improvements every day. Their work has yielded dramatic…

by David Drickhamer

Article

The Anatomy of Innovation

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Shadyside enjoys a reputation for innovation, due, in part, to its recognition that finding and fixing broken processes is…

by Chet Marchwinski