Rooted in Purpose, Process, and respect for People, lean is about creating the most value for the customer, while minimizing resources, time, energy, and effort used.

Think of hoshin (strategy alignment) like the human body, argues Mark Reich: The body needs a strong skeletal structure (hoshin) to hold it together (just like an organization). But a body can’t move effectively if its muscles (continuous improvement) are not kept active and developed as well.

Books on lean thinking and practice, management, instruction, and stories of transformation.

Publications like Managing to Learn, Learning to See, Gemba Walks, and Lead With Respect have become industry standards.

LEI summits and conferences raise consciousness, generate enthusiasm, and explore new frontiers in Lean Thinking.

You'll learn from leading lean practitioners and colleagues who have faced the same challenges you face now. You'll also enjoy the industry's best networking to build (or continue to build) your own network of lean thinkers. 

In-person, in-depth training at LEI build skills in fundamental and advanced lean principles. Enroll yourself and your team today!

LEI established the JPW Fund to advance how lean thinking is taught in schools and learned through practice at the Gemba. 

The JPW Fund will fund creative learning experiences in partnership with schools and foundations focused on education and training and community-based social service organizations willing to provide Gemba-based learning experiences focused on improving the delivery of social services to those in need.

Dear Gemba Coach,  My new boss is a lean fanatic crazy about standards. He’s created a new team to audit standards and is telling us that applying standardized work is the foundation of lean. It’s creating a lot of resistance, and I don’t know what to make of it.

Good introduction to what Toyota Kata is about, to share with anyone who needs it. Captured at the 5th annual North American KataCon conference in Savannah, GA on February 18, 2019.