Video

Lean is About Building Organizations that Learn to Learn

In April, LEI's John Shook spoke at the LeanUX NYC conference about how the lean movement has changed (and not changed) over time and what…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Ask Art: Is Lean a Strategy?

The debate over whether lean should be considered a strategy, philosophy, methodology, etc. is a long one. Merriam-Webster defines a strategy as "a careful plan…

by Art Byrne

Article

How Do We Sustain A3 Thinking in our Organization?

Dear Gemba Coach: My firm has been investing a lot of time and energy this year in teaching A3 thinking to our staff.  The workshops…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Big Problems? Start Small

"In problem solving, we’re taught to ask a simple question, “Is this problem within my scope of control?” If yes, then we go after it.…

by Josh Howell

Article

Ask Art: How Should We Staff and Run Kaizen?

"Unless you have some lean knowledge before you launch any kaizen, your traditional ('batch' rather than 'flow') thinking will overwhelm you at every turn," writes…

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

eBook

The Lean Manager

For many companies, the most important problem is not doing lean; it is becoming lean. How can they advance beyond realizing isolated gains from deploying lean tools, to fundamentally changing how…

by Freddy Ballé and Michael Ballé

Article

Selling Lean

Thousands of people have spent decades trying to disseminate lean management concepts. Many lean proponents can point to results showing lean’s advantages over traditional modern…

Article

The Hidden Benefit to A3 Thinking

"A3 thinking helps us think, solve problems, and strategize," writes José Ferro. "But it also helps us calm down, concentrate, and think deeply. It lets…

Article

Follow-up Q&A for Jim Lancaster's Work of Management Webinar

“The Real Work of Management” webinar drew very engaged attendees who submitted hundreds of questions. We now present some of the most-frequently asked questions (plus…

by Jim Lancaster

Podcast

Diving Deeper into the Toyota Way: A Podcast with Jeff Liker

Professor Jeff Liker discusses the new, second edition of his classic book The Toyota Way on WLEI, the LEI podcast.

by Jeffrey Liker

Article

A Lean Dream…

…wouldn’t it be great to see some lean Practical Problem Solving brought to the Detroit 3 “bailout” debate in Washington? Asking simply: What is the…

by John Shook

Article

Lean Product Development is About Thinking Horizontally in a Vertical World

Check out the blog from Day 2 of the Lean Product and Process Development Exchange (North America) conference in Durham, North Carolina. Excerpts from Jim…

by Lex Schroeder

Article

Ask Art: How Well Do Companies Follow Toyota's 'Respect for People' Principle?

Comparing traditional command-and-control management shows why this lean management tenet benefits both employees and the organization.

by Art Byrne

Article

Thoughts on the Birth of Lean

There is much to be learned from the history of Lean that applies powerfully today in every aspect of the business. In this summary of…

Video

The 6 Guiding Principles of Lean Product and Process Development

Learn the six guiding principles of Lean Product and Process Development and how they can help your organization accelerate the development of new products, processes,…

by James Morgan, PhD

Article

Streamlining Hope: How Lean Process Design Dramatically Cut Chemotherapy Wait Times

Discover how a pioneering healthcare team redesigned patient care to slash wait times, streamline treatments, and triple capacity. Explore innovative strategies reshaping the future of…

by Carlos Frederico Pinto, MD

Article

I'll Follow You into the Dark...

We all know that lean transformations can happen in any industry or environment. But have you ever thought about a photography darkroom as the site…

by Leslie Barker

Article

Lean Startup: The Most Revolutionary Idea Since SMED?

"From my view, Lean Startup is quite simply the most revolutionary idea to advance the way business is practiced since the birth of Lean," writes…

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