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Observe Without Expectations
What does it really mean to go to the gemba and closely observe the work that takes place there? Are…
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Sustain Your Lean Business System with a “Golden Triangle”
When medical device maker Phase 2 fought off an overseas challenge by meeting the global price, margins took a big…
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No Such Thing As a Funny Lean Joke?
Does a good lean joke exist? LEI staffer Josh Rapoza really wants to believe it's possible for Lean and humor…
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Think Like Judoka
"Resistance in an organization can be a daunting foe to even the most highly skilled Lean practitioners," writes Joel Gross.…
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We’re being audited on five levels on fifteen topics. I feel that if we actually worked on all these items, the plant would just stop working. Am I missing anything?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our facility is being rated on a “lean maturity” audit. We’re being audited on five levels on…
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Focus on Process, Set Free Great Minds
What happens when organizations buy into this "focus on the process" concept? Read on to learn more.
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Learning Through Struggle
LEI coach Danielle Blais reflects on one of the most frustrating (and ultimately, most rewarding) coaching moments she's experienced so…
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Taiichi Ohno Was a Hairdresser
"In the lean community, we talk about 'gaps' – the difference between where we are now and where we either…
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Japanese Cult Invades Saskatchewan Government
Lean has become a political football in the normally congenial province of Saskatchewan. Read what John Shook has to say…
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Monozukuri Through Hitozukuri
Michael Ballé reflects on what it really means to "make people before parts" and introduces two more lean terms that…
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Why do the characters in your books struggle a lot with lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m new to lean and I’ve just finished reading “The Gold Mine” and “The Lean Manager” and…
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TOP 10 TOYOTA KATA LESSONS
Here are ten terrifically-useful lessons from the ongoing effort to embed Toyota Kata into the culture at Texas Health Presbyterian…
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