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.
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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…
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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.
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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…
View video![Art Smalley](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1321_large-375x137.jpeg)
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?
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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?…
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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…
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Article
Kaizen and Innovation
Dear Gemba Coach: Can kaizen stifle breakthrough innovation?
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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.
View article![the great resignation](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/the-great-resignation-375x137.jpg)
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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)