Article

5 Missing Pieces in Your Standardized Work (Part 1 of 3)

John Shook offers an overview of the five most frequent misunderstandings about this fundamental lean practice and expands on three of them.

by John Shook

Article

Reflecting to Learn: Takeaways and Reflections on the A3 Process

In the wake of yesterday's interview with Mr. Isao Yoshino on the roots of the A3 process at Toyota, LEI Chairman and CEO John Shook…

by John Shook

Article

Bringing Respect for People to the World's Sweatshops

Jim Womack weighs in on how we might use lean thinking and practice to tackle the ongoing, systemic problem of sweatshop labor.

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Video

Art of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 8: Processing

Understand the two aspects of the waste that requires a careful understanding of customer requirements. Watch the final part of an eight-part series focusing on…

by Art Smalley

Article

What's wrong with taking a tools approach to lean management?

Dear Gemba Coach: I keep hearing that a tool approach to lean is wrong, but tools deliver results – how can that be wrong?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Problem Solving For Lean Continuous Improvement

What does real lean problem-solving look like? In this column, David Verble shares his experience at Toyota, revealing how the company culture bases its problem-solving…

by David Verble

Article

Leader Standard Work: Where to Start

Striving to be an effective lean leader or manager is well and good, but without the discipline of leader standard work, you're not likely to…

by Eric Ethington

Article

The Lean Way Forward at Ford

I’ve been reflecting on today’s remarkable headlines about the latest retreat by the Ford Motor Company as part of its “Way Forward” campaign. While reflecting,…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Throw Out Your Assumptions About Your Customer

LEI intern Francesco Possio reflects on his Lean Startup Machine workshop experience at the Cambridge Innovation Center.

by Francesco Possio

Article

Ask Art: What to Look for in a Lean Team Leader

One of Art Byrne's most-asked questions is, "What are the key traits for a lean team leader?" His recommendation might surprise you - take a…

by Art Byrne

Article

Why Are There So Many Points of View About What Lean Is?

Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been interested in lean for over two years now, and can’t quite understand why after 20 years there are still so…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Standardized Work for Kaizen: Define, Achieve, Maintain, Improve

We can all agree that kaizen (continuous improvement to create more value with less waste) is important, but do you have standardized work for kaizen?…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

Eiji Toyoda and Management Muda

Enthusiasts know how tremendously influential Eiji Toyoda has been to the development of Toyota and its revolutionary management system. Perhaps his story will never be…

by John Shook

Article

Kaizen and Innovation

Dear Gemba Coach: Can kaizen stifle breakthrough innovation?

by Michael Ballé

Article

How to Respond to the ‘Great Resignation’

A trip to the gemba reveals an overlooked management strategy that could be the most effective way to keep your employees from quitting their jobs.

by Josh Howell

Article

The Hard Work of Making Hard Work Easier

We persevere by struggling to overcome the challenges of hard work, argues Mark Reich. And, he says it is also our responsibility, as coaches and…

by Mark Reich

Article

A Lean Leap of Faith

Michael Ballé reflects on a core assumption of Lean that is often disregarded and explains why it is worth taking a lean leap of faith.

by Michael Ballé

Article

TPS Fundamentals in a Knowledge Work Environment

A recent LEI cleaning project reminded Business Editor Cam Ford of something he learned in a recent workshop - that TPS principles, even those that…

Article

Developing Your Obeya, Stage-by-Stage

In his years as a LPPD coach, John Drogosz has seen that "most teams do go through several stages of evolution before obeya becomes an…

by John Drogosz, PhD

Article

What Role Should a Quality Department Play in a Lean Organization?

Dear Gemba Coach: How can you improve quality overall while reducing the number of people who are developing policies, supporting training, and doing their best…

by Michael Ballé