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How to Engage Everyone to Create a “Continuous Innovation Machine”

In a presentation to hundreds of engineers at a Fortune 100 manufacturer, Jim Morgan, an engineering PhD and former product development executive, explained what distinguishes…

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Helpful Coaching? Part One: Who Says What’s Helpful?

David Verble, a lean practitioner and Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member, offers advice for what kind of coaching is helpful for people with problem solving…

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Insights and Advice from a Lean Accounting Leader

Why and how to get started integrating lean thinking and practice into accounting and finance at your organization.

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Profit and Cost At Toyota

Fresh off a tour of Japan where she observed how Toyota talks about costs and profit on the shop floor, LEI Chairperson Jean Cunningham shares…

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When should I push and when should I praise?

Dear Gemba Coach: I am in charge of a service activity and have started a lean approach with a sensei. In our last gemba tour, one…

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Ask Art: Why Should I Set Stretch Goals?

Art Byrne urges you to take the lean leap and set stretch goals. Setting ambitious goals shows respect for your people. Use the lean tools…

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Ask Art: How is lean the opposite of everything people have been trained to do?

Art Byrne explains why, and how, lean practice is the opposite of what most people have learned about work in any setting

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Ask Art: How Do You Align Incentives for a Lean Turnaround?

A veteran lean leader offers practical strategies for incentivizing employees during a transition to lean management.

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I'm thinking about outsourcing some administrative activities to be more flexible, but what does lean say about outsourcing?

Dear Gemba Coach: Financial results do not allow me to have excess people. After two years of struggling, I'm thinking about outsourcing some administrative activities…

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Starting Up, Growing Up, and Starting Over

In an essay first published in Gemba Walks (2nd Ed) and adapted for the Post, LEI founder and thought leader Jim Womack reflects on the…

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Learning Through Struggle

LEI coach Danielle Blais reflects on one of the most frustrating (and ultimately, most rewarding) coaching moments she's experienced so far in her career.

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Let Joy Power Your Organization's Flight

Joy is a powerful word in life and, as it turns out, in business too, says Rich Sheridan. A company that discovers the relevant principles…

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Improvement for the Sake of Improvement Means Nothing

"We need to dig deep to understand why we do what we do and question whether it really provides value to anyone." Read the story…

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Ask Art: The Benefits of Kaizen Learning vs. Traditional Problem-Solving

Kaizen is for learning and doing, says Art Byrne, who points out the benefits of this "learn-by-doing" approach over traditional problem-solving.

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Let's Celebrate Work

Is your work meaningful or menial? LEI Senior Advisor John Shook challenges us to aim to make all work meaningful by building our businesses based…

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Learning to Solve Problems By... Wait for It... Solving Problems

A team learns what matters when it comes to problem-solving using lean thinking and practices.

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Obeya Management: 10 Practical Tips to Create a Command Center for Success 

Failing to manage the interfaces between functional disciplines may be the greatest source of waste, frustration, and failure in product development, according to Jim Morgan,…

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Ask Art: How high is up with lean?

Art Byrne explains that continuous improvement really is continuous and that there is no limit to the “up” in lean.

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Can Lean Succeed in a Strong Labor Environment?

Lean is all about people, says Art Byrne, regarding the question of making lean succeed in a union environment. He argues that if you treat…

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