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Lean Workshops & Seminars

Real Applications, Not Just Concepts

We design our workshops to answer the question many of you have about Lean concepts, "What concrete steps do I take on Monday morning to begin implementing?"

So we teach you actual applications, not just concepts, in plain language with the case studies, worksheets, formulas, and methodologies you need. You learn step-by-step methodologies for implementing and making the critical leap from the conventional business focus on optimizing individual processes to the value-stream focus of optimizing the flow of value. No wonder our workshops have a reputation for practical and comprehensive content.


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  • New!A Factory of One: Applying Lean Thinking to Improve Your Personal Performance(on-site only) As lean moves out of the "tool age," leaders—managers, directors, executives— must invest more time in the critical work of lean leadership: going to the gemba to support value creators in their improvement work and coaching and mentoring teams to develop their problem solving capabilities. This ensures that all organizational processes continuously add value to customers. Read more >

  • Change Agent Skills for Lean Implementation Leaders Learn how to lead others to and through implementation of lean change activities by persuasion, influence, demonstration, negotiation, and teaching. Read more >

  • Coaching Skills for Lean Implementation Leaders Leaders and change agents will discover how to apply the "sensei approach" in leading a lean implementation project by using preparation, practice, adjustment and review to give responsibility for thinking and making changes to the people who have to implement and maintain the improvements. Read more >

  • Developing People with Capability for Lean Learn about a supportive management environment for lean performance. Explore the manger’s role in people development and responsibilities in creating a learning environment. Identify the perspectives, capabilities and behaviors required by the role and examine organizational systems and practices that support managers in carrying out their role to develop and sustain capability for performance in a lean operation. Read more >

  • New!Gemba Walks - A Management Process for Leading the Organization (Gemba-based) This opening paragraph of the Introduction of Jim Womack’s latest book Gemba Walks is the starting point for a gemba-based learning experience designed to help participants better understand their role in creating lean thinking through lean management led by their own behavior in “taking a walk”. Read more >

  • Getting the Right Things Done A major problem in a lean transformation is taking on too many initiatives at once. Policy Deployment guides you in "de-selecting" initiatives down to the ones the organization can really achieve while aligning them with company strategic objectives. Read more >

  • Improvement Kata / Coaching Kata What is a Kata? A kata is a pattern you practice to learn a skill and mindset. Through practice the pattern of a kata becomes second nature - done with little conscious attention - and readily available. Examples are riding a bicycle, driving a car, typing. People who have learned to drive don't think much about using the car's controls. They focus on navigating the road ahead. Read more >

  • New!Improvement Kata Experience This interactive experiential workshop offers the content and activities from Day 1 of our three-day Improvement Kata/Coaching Kata program with the intent to demonstrate two core Kata routines through hands-on practice. Read more >

  • Integrating Visual Management Tools and Leader Standard Work This course deals with designing and executing an implementation plan to migrate your company from one of “gather data, synthesize, meet, and react” to one of “see waste, manage exceptions, and improve processes”.   It will show you how to tie together the tools of Policy Deployment, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Management, and Management Standard Work. The emphasis of the course is on the development of visual management tools and incorporating them into management standard work. Read more >

  • New!Introduction to Lean Leadership The purpose of this interactive one-day program is to facilitate a discussion with senior leaders about the challenges and obstacles they face implementing change relative to the Lean transformation. The program will address the roles, responsibilities and competencies of senior leaders that support the implementation of the Lean enterprise. Read more >

  • New!Leading in a Continuous Improvement Culture: Engaging and Coaching Problem Solving Thinkers This two-day workshop addresses the challenges leaders face in making the transition from a culture in which problem solving is the job of a few to one that fosters and enables continuous problem solving and improvement efforts at all levels. Read more >

  • New!Management PDCA: Aligning Individual Initiative and Organizational Development This unique session facilitated by one of most prominent lean thought leaders John Shook and LEI Director of Strategy and Operations Mark Reich focuses on strategy deployment and the linkage between strategic objectives and daily work of leaders. Read more >

  • Management Standard Work (Gemba-Based) There is lots of information out there on how to improve processes in industrial, office, and healthcare settings, but very little practical information on how to manage new processes as they are put into place. This workshop will help you learn how to review your existing management systems, supplant them with more effective lean methods and practices, and become more effective at creating a sustainable lean culture moving forward. Read more >

  • Managing to Learn: The Use of the A3 Management Process This workshop introduces the A3 management process and the way of thinking represented in the A3 format that capture the heart of lean management. Participants will be provided an overview of various forms and uses of the A3 format and will have an opportunity to create their own A3. Working in small groups, they will be able to read, discuss, and evaluate each another’s A3s. Read more >

  • Managing Value-Stream Improvement Value-stream maps are the blueprints for lean transformation but there is more to a value-stream improvement project than value-stream mapping. Learn how to define and scope value stream improvement projects, problem solve to create lean future-state designs, use lean tools to implement and sustain the future state, and manage implementation of a lean transformation to plan. Read more >

  • Problem Solving to Align Purpose, Process and People This is an expanded version of our 1-day Lean Problem Solving workshop which is offered exclusively in our office in Cambridge, MA. Read more >

  • Sustainable Lean Culture: Connecting the “Product” and the “People” Value Streams Process-improvement tools are important, but their ultimate effectiveness depends on the ability to develop the underlying culture of problem solving to support continuous growth and improvement. This workshop explores the foundations of Toyota’s unique culture and helps you develop an action plan to support the transition from conventional to lean culture. Read more >

  • Transformational Leadership: An Experiential Program for Lean Leaders This 2.5-day executive program uses experiential methodology to uncover the thinking that drives leaders’ behaviors. The program engages you in a realistic business simulation followed by a series of debriefs for reflection on your current leadership style and in order to help you develop a plan for moving toward a more effective lean leadership model. Read more >

  • TWI: Job Instruction This workshop will provide an overview of TWI with a focus on the Job Instruction program. Job Instruction is The Way to get A person to Quickly Remember how to do A job Correctly, Safely, and Conscientiously. These work standards then provide the foundation for employee engagement, continuous improvement and problem solving. Read more >

  • TWI: Job Relations Along with LEI’s workshop TWI: Job Instruction, the Job Relations Training for Leaders class provides an overview of another component of the Training Within Industry Program which was created by the United States during World War II, and has been used by Toyota and other Japanese companies for over 50 years to develop leaders and an exceptional workforce. Read more >