Article

Improve Continuously by Mastering the Lean Kata

Lean is about learning, say Rose Heathcote and Daryl Powell. Learning to find real problems, learning to face the limits of our current knowledge in…

by Rose Heathcote and Daryl Powell

Senior Advisors and Staff

Masia Goodman

Masia joined LEI in 2006 with a background in education, having taught French and Comparative World Religion at the high school level. During her early…

Article

Make Using Lean Thinking to Help Solve Societal Problems Your New Year’s Resolution

The nation needs lean thinkers and practitioners to apply their problem-solving prowess to address issues of national concern.

by Christopher D. Chapman

Article

Small Batch: Hand-Picked Articles from the Global Lean Community (Vol. 4)

Our picks for the best high-impact learning stories and columns from Planet Lean.

by Lean Leaper

Article

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)…

by John Shook

Article

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.

by Lex Schroeder

Article

What's your challenge?

Toyota can’t exist -- Toyota can’t be Toyota -- without a challenge. That’s true for each individual or work group and for the company as…

by John Shook

Article

Pi-Day, Robots, and the Joy of Making Things

To mark Engineers Week, Feb. 18-23, we’re reprising a story about celebrating Pi Day by Jim and Mary Morgan, a self-described “geek couple.” And we’re…

by Jim Morgan

Article

I Got 99 Problems and This Is How I'll Tackle Type One

After an unintentional sending a mass email with an error from LEI, Lory Moniz reflects on the source of the defect and commits to a…

by Lory Moniz

Article

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…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Lean Roundup: Lean in the News

"While few business leaders seem to be discussing lean explicitly these days, there are certainly a great deal of tangentially lean conversations happening wherever you…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

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…

by Michael Ballé

Article

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…

by Chet Marchwinski and Andi Plantenberg

Article

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…

by Orest (Orry) Fiume

Article

Inventory Turns Charts

How can you tell if your firm is really getting lean — count the future state maps on the walls, calculate the number of kaizen…

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

Be a Better Coach; Learn to “Force” Reflection Part 2: Forcing Managers and Execs to Reflect

How to hold senior-level leaders accountable for expected behaviors and practices, such as the PDCA process' "check/reflect" phase.

by David Verble

Article

Fight for Your Lean Team

Managers, supervisors and coaches should mindfully support the storming and norming that teams require in order to grow an existing work team into a high…

Article

Back to Basics: Jim Womack on Why Managers Need a "Lean State of Mind"

In this classic eletter from 2009, Jim Womack explains the crucial importance of a "lean state of mind" if a lean manager is going to…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

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…

by Jim Morgan

Article

How to Lead with Respect

Showing respect to employees falls far short of leading with respect. Discover the seven core practices that true lean leaders use everyday to lead with…

by Doug Bartholomew