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A Learning Partnership to Support A New Era in American Manufacturing
As policymakers and business leaders work to rebuild and reimagine a struggling U.S. economy, GE is not only at the center of the conversation about…
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Lean Consortia “Lessons Learned”
Here is a quick overview of the lessons learned by experienced leaders in our case study on lean consortia.
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Do You Own Your Lean Learning?
LEI COO and Toyota veteran Mark Reich is back with a new series on the role of consultants and OpEx groups in a lean transformation.…
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Lexicon Term
Toyota Production System
The production system developed by Toyota Motor Corporation to provide best quality, lowest cost, and shortest lead time through the elimination of waste. TPS is…
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Effective Leaders Tackle Challenges Systematically
"It's not enough to simply set a challenge," writes Dario Spinola. "We need effective ways of working toward challenges." Read Spinola's suggestions for using The…
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Soliciting Suggestions in Ways That Don't Backfire
Sometimes well-intentioned lean activities like asking for suggestions can backfire; Cheryl Jekiel shares specific ways to prevent mishandling ideas from your people.
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Thank you, Tatsuro Toyoda
John Shook remembers the late Tatsuro Toyoda, former president of Toyota.
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Toyota Troubles: Fighting the Demons of Complexity
An interview with Professor Takahiro Fujimoto, Manufacturing Management Research Center, University of Tokyo
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Changing Routines
In this article exploring ways to help lead positive change, Josh Howell asks: is pursuing understanding and conviction part of your influence or change model?…
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Why won’t senseis ever give a straight answer?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why won’t senseis ever give a straight answer?
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10 Tips for Getting the Most Value from Value-Stream Mapping
Before you map your value stream, review and keep in mind these tips for ensuring your organization reaps the performance gains it can deliver —…
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No Really, Go to the Gemba
LEI coach Danielle Blais explains why it's so important for lean coaches, leaders, and all managers to regularly visit the gemba (the place where the…
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The Essence of Developing People and Yourself
Jane Delaney is the CEO of a medium sized software company in the UK. As her company faces crisis upon crisis she finds herself forced…
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Adopt or Adapt? When Modifying Lean Makes Sense
One of the key decisions every lean coach, consultant, practitioner, and leader makes is when to fully adopt a particular lean practice or when to…
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Doing Versus Being – How Mindfulness Supports Better Lean Thinking, Part 2
Most companies don’t get the desired results from lean transformations, according to Mike Orzen, lean practitioner and LEI faculty member. Their people get stuck in…
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Community Communication
Lean thinking and practice is all about tackling problems – little ones, big ones, wicked ones, sticky ones, concrete ones, fuzzy ones. We tackle problems…
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Lean Thinkers Are Systems Thinkers
Lean thinkers are systems thinkers, argues Rich Sheridan: "Intentional cultures thrive when the simple systems put in place reinforce every cultural intention and that systems…
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Keep It Simple: Value-Stream Mapping at the Gemba
A veteran lean coach shares a story showing that even simple and quick value-stream mapping can be hugely helpful when you include the people doing…
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Lean Lessons from Tesla
This piece throws no shade at Tesla, a company that serves as a highly-charged conduit for many a heated debate about the future of manufacturing,…
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The Snowstorm on Your Server
When looking for a place to implement 5S, your company's server or shared drive might not be the first to come to mind. And yet…
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