Article

Passing the Baton

Jim Womack and John Shook reflect on passing the baton of leadership at the Lean Enterprise Institute

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD and John Shook

Article

Talking Lean with a Neuroscientist

How do we turn large, complicated, risky projects into catalysts for learning and innovation? Lean IT expert Steve Bell reflects on this question after an…

by Steve Bell

Article

All Lean Is Local

When I think about the idea of “all lean is local,” I think about the fundamental entry point questions for any lean thinker in any…

by Josh Howell

Article

The Age of Manipulating Customers is Over

In his latest column for the Post, Boaz Tamir explains how the business landscape has changed since consumers have become more and more conscious of…

by Boaz Tamir

Article

It's All About the Mindset on Gemba Walks

Darren Walsh believes that there are few things more critical to a successful gemba walk than the right mindset. Do you have the right one…

by Darren Walsh

Article

The Real Lean Challenge: Levelling Production

Most lean practitioners focus primarily on the waste elimination aspect of Lean and ignore levelled production. In his second piece for the Post, Ian Glenday…

by Ian Glenday

Article

Toyota the Bad Guy

Recently I am cornered frequently by beleaguered lean change agents eager to show me their scars inflicted by re-energized resistors. Lean naysayers have seized the…

by John Shook

Article

Lead from the Front, Lead from Behind

In my last letter I alluded to a common view in the Lean Community – shared by the broader business community at large – that…

by John Shook

Article

Lean thinkers tell me not to give answers but my sensei keeps telling me what to do; which is it?

Dear Gemba Coach: My experience is that if you want to get anything done you have to ask very specifically and follow up thoroughly. Now,…

by Michael Ballé

Article

What's the lean take on learning?

Dear Gemba Coach: Our previous CEO used to preach “servant leadership,” but now’s he’s left and the new style is far more traditional command and…

by Michael Ballé

Article

How do we get started with lean tools in new product development?

Dear Gemba Coach: My company already has a deep rooted lean culture.  However, it would seem that the next evolution would be in my department,…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Is there a spiritual dimension to lean?

Dear Gemba Coach: Is there a spiritual dimension to lean?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Ask Art: Will Lean Work for a Distributor?

Pairing distribution companies with Lean may seem counterintuitive to some. However author of The Lean Turnaround, Art Byrne, says this match actually makes perfect sense.

by Art Byrne

Article

New Book, Becoming the Change, Shows that Real Organizational Change Is Personal

Learn the cause of and cure for healthcare improvements that relapse to the old ways of working. Kim Barnes, Catalysis CEO, and John Toussaint, MD,…

Article

Maintaining Emotional Heijunka During a Pandemic

In this timely reflection, Jim Womack calls for "emotional heijunka": taking a deep breath, identifying the most important problems that must be addressed in a…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

The Eight Wastes of Lean

Originally there were seven wastes identified by Taiichi Ohno for the Toyota Production System. As lean evolved into the rest of the enterprise and around…

by Jean Cunningham

Article

Same Foundation, New Message: LEI Aims to Make Things Better

Same Foundation, New Message: LEI Aims to Make Things Better At the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), our mission for 15 years has been to advance…

by Lex Schroeder

Article

Why Create Poka-yokes—and Why Disconnect Them?

I’m a manufacturing engineer and since I have started participating in kaizen workshops, I have noticed that production supervisors tend to disconnect some of the…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Seeking Radical Quality in the Tech Industry

The CTO of a website design firm explains how a recent book on radical quality improvement in manufacturing inspired him to initiate similar experiments in…

by Woody Rousseau

Video

Art of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 4: Excess Conveyance

Hi everyone. This is Art Smalley, president of Art of Lean, Incorporated. Today, on behalf of the Lean Enterprise Institute, we’re going to do a…

by Art Smalley