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Toyoda, Kiichiro (1894-1952)
The son of Toyota Group founder Sakichi Toyoda, who led the effort to enter the auto industry in the 1930’s. Kiichiro, believed that he could…
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Lean Enterprise Institute Announces Training for Supply Chain, Logistics, Warehousing, and Distribution
The two hands-on workshops will take place October 8-11, 2013, at a working supply chain operations center so attendees can experience lean management principles in…
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The Prospects for Lean
As we all return to work in the New Year, I wanted to provide a few thoughts on the prospects for lean thinking in the…
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The Big Opportunity
I started studying manufacturing performance††26 years ago this fall. We set out at MIT to perform the most exhaustive and accurate benchmarking of the worldís…
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The Best Lean Healthcare Stories You May Have Missed
Looking ahead to the Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit June 5-6, Lex Schroeder rounds up some of the best lean healthcare pieces on the Post.
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What Lean Thinkers Think About The Gold Mine
Questions and comments†from readers to co-author Michael BallÈ about his book The Gold Mine.
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Be More Innovative with These Resources and Ideas for Exploiting World-Shaping Trends
Great products and services begin with great ideas and great ideas are informed by the big trends that are shaping the world. But how do…
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The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
"I began to notice that there was a sharp contrast between well-made, crafted products and poorly made ones, and an even greater distinction between the…
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How Standardized Work Integrates People with Process
In this three-part series, John Shook argues that "the Toyota Way is a socio-technical system on steroids" that brings together people (social) and processes (technical)…
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Does a lean transformation boost a company's stock price?
Dear Gemba Coach: You’ve worked with a lot of different companies in the public and private sectors. How have the stock prices of the public…
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Any advice for a team with a new boss who doesn’t know lean but wants us to switch to agile instead?
Dear Gemba Coach: We have a new boss who doesn’t know lean and is asking our lean team to switch to “agile” instead. Any advice?
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Is agile project management simply lean thinking applied to software development?
Dear Gemba Coach: You seem to distinguish between agile and lean, but to my understanding, agile is simply lean thinking applied to software development. Am…
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The Story of an Error
As a followup to his popular article from earlier this summer about lean profit-sharing plans, Orry Fiume delves deeper. He shares a booklet that McKesson…
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Four Types of Problems (Introduction)
An excerpt from Four Types of Problems IntroductionThe four types of problems are:Type 1: Troubleshooting: Reactive problem solving that hinges upon quick response and dealing with immediate…
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Back to Basics: Jim Womack on Why You Should Never Create an A3 Alone
In this eletter from 2008, Jim Womack (in honor of the then-recent publication of "Managing to Learn") shares invaluable advice for a problem that too…
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Creating Value or Shifting Wealth?
How do we judge the progress of the Lean Movement? One critical indicator is our success in extending lean thinking to new industries and activities.…
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How Accounting “Squirrels” Can Ferret Out Waste
While other functions are busy as beavers looking for waste during a lean transformation, your accounting staff is like a squirrel with its head stuck…
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Fresh Eyes Bring Lean Problems into Clarity
“Fresh eyes” reviews are an indispensible part of developing new value. It’s amazing what you can learn from the input of a knowledgable outsider, because…
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4 Actions that Solved My Lean Management Identity Crisis
Mike Orzen had lean management down cold – or so he thought. After all, he makes a living teaching it to managers and executives. But…
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