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As head of a lean office, what must I do to really walk the talk?
Dear Gemba Coach: I am the head of a lean office. I’d like to lead by example, but it occurs…
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How to Scale Up Positive Social Change
Far more households globally have access to a mobile phone than a toilet, notes Ann Mei Chang, a tech executive…
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Why We Believe A Strong Customer Focus Is Needed To Drive A Lean Strategy
Is there any principle more core to the heart of lean than relentlessly focusing on the customer? In this collection…
Read article Join the Conversation and Stop the Rework
In the spring of 1997, as I was starting the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute, I visited a company that I…
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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…
Read article Got any recommendations for applying lean in the tool and die shop to stop our dies from crashing like crazy?
Dear Gemba Coach: We applied SMED to increase the flexibility in our production cells. Now our dies are crashing like…
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Sometimes Less Lean is Mo’ Lean
After seeing a great concert by blues legend Keb' Mo', Brent Wahba reflected on some lean principles embodied in the…
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Stop Asking Your Leaders to “Support” Your Lean Transformation
Helping others with shared work tied to broad improvement goals can be challenging for lean leaders. Continuous Improvement Director Lisa…
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Cutting Carbon Emissions and Product Costs Through Lean Product and Process Development
As the need to reduce carbon emissions becomes clearer, the need to understand the impact and consciously consider it during…
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Matched Pairs: To Improve Supplier Relationships, Start Inside Your Organization
Jim Morgan shares how adopting a Matched Pair strategy that teams supply chain and engineering leaders with a common plan,…
Read article What should I look for so I don’t get burned taking a lean director’s job?
Dear Gemba Coach,I’ve been offered the job of a lean director in an industrial group. The offer sounds very attractive,…
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Show Respect, Psychological Safety, and Social Neuroscience
Mike Orzen and David Verble examine the meaning and lean relevance of showing respect, creating psychological safety, and the links…
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