Case Study

Shifting to Value-Stream Managers:a Shop-Floor Revolution Leads to a Revolution in Plant Organization

Two years into a lean transformation, the low-hanging fruit has been plucked and progress has started to slow. Read how a Thomas & Betts plant…

Article

Why We Believe Lean is Worth Our Unwavering Commitment

Lean provides a powerful alternative to short-term enterprise driven solely by the goal of maximizing profits while externalizing human and environmental costs, argues these leading…

by Lean Sensei Women

Article

Why 'Yes Chef!' Is No Longer the Answer

In order to meet the changing demands of today's restaurants, chefs must learn to evolve from old-school methods of the "brigade system" and learn to…

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

Ask Art: Where Will the Biggest Resistance to Lean Come From?

Resistance to Lean will come from every part of your organization, senior management included, says Lean veteran Art Byrne. Knowing where the biggest resistance will…

by Art Byrne

Article

We mapped a process, improved it, but six months later, performance is as bad as it was before – what are we missing?

Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve drawn the value-stream map of one of our complex production processes (17 steps), identified the key bottlenecks and improved the process.…

by Michael Ballé

Podcast

Navigating Organizational Change: A Conversation with Dr. Lynn Kelley

In this podcast episode, LEI chats with Dr. Lynn Kelley to delve into organizational change: how to design it, execute it, and sustain it.

by Matthew Savas

Case Study

Change in Implementation Approach Opens the Door at EMCO to Greater Gains in Less Time

Many lean thinkers ask how they can accelerate the pace of a transformation or spread it to other facilities. EMCO Enterprise’s Des Moines plant has…

by Chet Marchwinski

Video

How to Lead Physicians in Change

The Seattle Children's medical director of continuous improvement and innovation describes a successful method for standardizing — and improving — clinical processes.

by Lean Leaper

Article

Take Baby Steps Towards Improvement

As you think about your 2019 resolutions, ask yourself if you’re making the change too big and, therefore, too scary, suggests Mark Graban. Instead of…

by Mark Graban

Case Study

Landscape Forms Cultivates Lean to Fuel Growth Goals

With single-item orders 80% of the time, adopting single-piece flow and cellular production made sense to management at Landscape Forms, a low-volume, high-mix producer of…

Article

How Lean Thinking and Practices Can Help You Prepare for and Rebound from a Crisis

As the world emerges from the depths of the pandemic, the Lean Sensei Women share how lean can help you refocus from meeting the challenges…

by Lean Sensei Women

Article

A Sweeter Type of Lean

In one memorable lean project, Carlos Moretti found himself assisting a Brazilian sugar-cane supplier for the ethanol industry with a number of efficiency and quality…

by Carlos Moretti

Article

Understanding the True Value of the TWI Job Instruction Training Method

In this reflection, the author contends the training approach delivers something vastly more significant than merely a faster, more effective training process.

by Chia-Chun Chung

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

Article

Is there a lean way of delegating?

Dear Gemba Coach: I’m an entrepreneur and I used to micromanage everything, quite successfully. Now the firm has grown and I’m trying to delegate. How…

by Michael Ballé

Article

In your opinion, is lean thinking a common sense way of working or is it counterintuitive? What makes you think that?

Here are all the submissions to the community sound off question: "In your opinion, is lean thinking a common sense way of working or is…

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

How Do You Find - or Develop - the Right Sensei to Lead Lean?

Dear Gemba Coach: We have become skilled at indicating what goes wrong, but solving the problems is not our strength. Making the transformation to problem…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Be a Better Coach: Learn to “Force” Your Team to Reflect, Part 1

Sustaining a lean thinking culture requires consistent leadership and coaching that reinforces expected behaviors and practices. Here’s an example of how to ensure your frontline…

by David Verble

Article

Making Your Work Work in the First 90 Days

In your first 90 days as a lean leader, what path will you take to support transformation? Andrew Quibell details the elements of both a…

by Andrew Quibell