Video

Want Better Relations and Results from Suppliers? Hear Two Execs Explain the Benefits of "Matched Pair” Leadership

New products and service development does not stop at the exterior walls of your company. Outside suppliers play critical roles, but the relationships between companies…

by Chet Marchwinski and James Morgan, PhD

Article

Our new boss doesn’t 'get' lean; what can I do to convince him?

Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve had spectacular lean results with our old boss, but our new boss doesn’t get it. He’s already cut his gemba walks…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Can I change a company's attitude that people can't be trusted to do their jobs unless they are scared into complying?

Dear Gemba Coach: A major assumption in lean thinking is that people genuinely want to do a good job, and the only thing standing in…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Why the A3 Process Involves More than Filling in Boxes

As she details how to problem-solve using the A3 methodology, a veteran lean coach explains why it's essential to understand that completing an A3 problem-solving…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

A Great Time for Lean Thinking

I’ve just been reading the financial news and realizing that this is a great time to be a lean thinker. In fact, it’s the best…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Finding a Countermeasure to the Great Resignation in Making Jobs Better

Watching an associate improve his work process prompts some ideas on how to attract and retain employees who are at risk of quitting.

by Matthew Savas

Article

Should I Use Lean for Headcount Reduction?

Dear Gemba Coach: My company wants to reduce its fixed costs. And as part of this my management has asked me to apply the lean…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Should we plan according to what we can do, or the other way around?

Dear Gemba Coach: Should we plan according to what we can do, or the other way around?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Expanding the Purpose of Catchball

Learn how catchball, the process of colleagues tossing ideas back and forth to improve them iteratively, helps get the job done while building capability simultaneously.

by Josh Howell

Article

What is your psychology of change?

Dear Gemba Coach: Do you have a psychology of change? And if so, what is it? Where should we start?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Rethinking Disaster Recovery on the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

As the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches on August 23rd-29th, read about how lean thinking is changing how New Orleans and the rest of…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Dealing with Standard Costing in Lean Organizations

If you are in the accounting department in a lean manufacturing company, and your company uses a standard costing system, it is inevitable that the…

Article

I’m not sure I understand solving problems one by one.

Dear Gemba Coach: I’m not sure I understand solving problems one by one. I thought listing problems and pushing hard to get them solved faster…

by Michael Ballé

Article

What Finance Teams Can Learn from the Lean Practice of ‘Go See, Ask Why, Show Respect’ - Part 1

Join a "lean accounting" coach as he recounts several gemba walks with Finance and Accounting leaders and shares their "ah-ha" reaction.

Article

What would "process points" be in software development?

Dear Gemba Coach: Thank you for your previous column that has raised profound questions for me to work on with my software development teams. For…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Understanding the 4S Help Chain, Part 1: Lessons from NUMMI on How to Manage Work Disruptions

What are the four critical characteristics of an effective help chain? Matt Zayko, a technical coach for LEI's Lean Product and Process Development team, explains.

by and Matt Zayko

Article

Lean Consumption, Lean Provision, and Lean Solutions

Here’s some good news for the Lean Community. I was recently in Spain where I toured a facility belonging to an American company whose U.S.…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Riding the Goodyear Wheel to Innovation Excellence

Norbert Majerus of Goodyear shares the Womack and Jones-inspired model that helped his company overhaul its product development operations.

Article

Lean and Forecasting

Dear Gemba Coach: I’m in charge of the forecasting department in my company. My colleagues in production have been doing lean for several years and…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Ask Art: How Do You Motivate Managers to Adopt Lean?

Leading an enterprise-wide lean transformation requires everyone at every level to adopt new approaches to their work. Here are some tried-and-true strategies that leaders can…

by Art Byrne