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

How do I quantify kaizen's small improvements?

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

by Michael Ballé

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…

Article

"Roll"-ing Out Lean at Kura Sushi

Self-professed "lean geek" Katie Anderson has eaten several meals at Kura Sushi restaurants and shares her observations on what she sees as lean principles at…

by Katie Anderson

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

Video

Art of Lean on Problem-Solving, Part 5: Tuckman's Model of Team Formation

Coaching teams is the topic of this fifth part of an ongoing series on coaching problem-solving by Art Smalley. He compares the Tuckman Model with…

by Art Smalley

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…

Article

Reflections From Ten Years of Michael Ballé's Gemba Coach

Since his first Gemba Coach column of ten years ago, Michael Balle has consistently tied his advice to a faithful application of core Toyota Production…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

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

Article

Observe Without Expectations

What does it really mean to go to the gemba and closely observe the work that takes place there? Are you aware of your own…

by Eric Ethington

Article

Constancy of Purpose

The first of Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s 14 Points is "create constancy of purpose for continual improvement of products and service to society." When I…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

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

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

Does a lean transformation boost a company's stock price?

Dear Gemba Coach: You’ve worked with a lot of different companies in the public and private sectors. How have the stock prices of the public…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Signs of Progress

Dear Gemba Coach: We've been doing lean for several years now, and the program has had its ups and downs. What are the signs that…

by Michael Ballé

Article

How Do the Problems of Continuous Improvement Professionals Differ from Those of Line Managers

Dear Gemba Coach: How do the lean-related problems or responsibilities of ci professionals differ from those of line managers or business unit managers?

by Michael Ballé

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

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

Ask Art: What Targets Should We Set When Launching a Lean Turnaround?

Here's why setting results-oriented targets instead of process-oriented targets will doom your lean improvement efforts, says Art Byrne.

by Art Byrne

Article

4Ps Prove Lean Applies Everywhere

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