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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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From Lean Tools to Lean Management

James P. Womack reflects on the evolution of lean thinking over 27 years, emphasizing the shift from focusing on individual lean tools to adopting a…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

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How Do Lean CEOs Learn To Improve?

What, and how, do I have to learn? This key question confronts all CEOs who are practicing lean seriously, argues CEO Nicolas Chartier, who shares…

by Nicolas Chartier

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Ask Art: What Incentives and Bonus Programs Best Support Lean?

Bonus and incentive plans work best when they serve an underlying purpose, says Art Byrne, who advises that management design them to boost teamwork, learning,…

by Art Byrne

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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…

by Dario Spinola

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Lean Thinking at 20: A Q&A with Jim Womack and Dan Jones

Twenty years ago Jim Womack and Dan Jones helped launch the lean movement as we know it today with their key book Lean Thinking. Yesterday…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD and Dan Jones

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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.

by Lea Tonkin

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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…

by Richard Sheridan

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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.

by Cheryl Jekiel

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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…

by Dave LaHote

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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…

by Eric Ethington

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Putting Financial Value on Lean Transformation

What is the ROI on a kaizen event? How does Lean stack up against other revenue generation or cost-saving initiatives? While Jean Cunningham says questions…

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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 —…

by Judy Worth

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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…

by Karen Martin

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Cleveland Clinic’s Prescription for Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Lisa Yerian, MD, medical director of continuous improvement at the Clinic, talks about a “model area” approach to improvement, how initial “islands” of improvement linked…

by Lisa Yerian, MD

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Lean Startups Should Be Lean Cultures, From the Start

Mark Graban reflects on John Shook's talk, "Lean Startup--From Toyota City to Fremont to You," at this week's Lean Startup Conference in San Francisco. Read…

by Mark Graban

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Do You Own Your Lean Learning?

Mark Reich recounts a pivotal experience with Andrea, a coffee plant manager who initially sought external solutions for operational challenges. Through observation and coaching, they…

by Mark Reich

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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…

by Mike Orzen

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Create Your Fantasy Island Organizational Culture

What would your dream organizational culture look like? What about your fantasy lean transformation? Tracey Richardson shares her advice for turning at least some of…

by Tracey Richardson

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One Simple Thing You Can Do To Improve Your Coaching

When you put people on the defense, you miss out on a lot more than improved performance and results. Tracey Richardson shares her insights on…

by Tracey Richardson