Article
What are your three most important problems?
Dear Gemba Coacg: What should I look for during a gemba walk?
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Article
Why Practicing Lean Thinking Matters (Even if Your Bosses Don’t Care)
"If your boss doesn't get [lean thinking], don't expect to convince him/her," writes Michael Ballé. "Do expect to get him/her interested if you manage to…
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Article
Can you implement TPS if management doesn’t accept the fundamental values of the Toyota Way?
Dear Gemba Coach: How can we implement the principles of TPS if our management doesn’t accept the fundamental values of the Toyota Way?
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If lean is valid in all situations doesn't that make it an ideology?
Dear Gemba Coach: Is lean really valid in all situations? That sounds like ideology to me!
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There are so many lean management principles to know and tools to master at the start – is there an easier way to begin?
Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t there an easier way to start lean? For a beginner, it seems like such a mountain to climb – all these…
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Shopping for a Sensei
We at LEI have been getting a lot of requests recently to help companies find lean expertise for harder times. Here are some simple guidelines…
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How can there be standards -- or kaizen -- in a service job when no two instances are the same?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m in a service job and I struggle with the idea of standards. I read that there can be no kaizen without…
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How do we get our boss to stop confusing inventory management with lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our new boss is a lean supporter and had us reduce drastically all inventories. Now we have missing parts all over the…
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Community Communication
Lean thinking and practice is all about tackling problems – little ones, big ones, wicked ones, sticky ones, concrete ones, fuzzy ones. We tackle problems…
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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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Lean-n-Food: Reimagining an Industry in Crisis
What is a restaurant in the post-pandemic world? LEI's Karen Gaudet and Josh Howell are exploring this and other questions with an international group of industry…
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Article
Why We're Thankful For Lean
Thanksgiving is a time of year when Americans take a day to step back and appreciate everything they have to be thankful for. Here at…
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Article
Questions and Coaching on A3 Thinking
In this Q&A, LEI's Deborah McGee shares insights into A3 thinking and problem-solving: "The A3 Management process is really a way of thinking and a…
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Article
Feeling the Gemba Magic
After months of work at the gemba with his factory manager helping line workers grapple with problems, CEO Nicolas Chartier realized the true source of…
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Case Study
Thrustmaster Comes Around
The following Lean Enterprise Institute case study reveals how Thrustmaster of Texas successfully adopted lean thinking and practices to make sustainable improvements in a short…
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Article
Standardized Work in Machine-Intensive Processes
Dear Gemba Coach,Most lean literature and case studies to date focus on assembly type manufacturing which utilizes very people-intensive operations. This is not the case…
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How Do I Measure People Development?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is the metric for people development?
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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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Article
Practicing What We Teach
"Do all Lean practitioners practice what they teach?" Maybe, maybe not. Tracey Richardson tries to as much as she can, and here's why.
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Article
Is There a Right Way to Teach A3?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve been teaching A3 problem solving to all our managers, but so far I fail to see any clear improvement of our…
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