Article

Ask Art: How Do I Get the Senior Management Team On Board with Lean?

Lean requires teamwork, and so getting your senior management team on board requires a great deal of work, including new mindsets, exposure to lean practice,…

by Art Byrne

Article

Why Yoda Was Wrong

Aspects of lean can be found almost anywhere - even in a galaxy far, far away. Inspired by a new trailer for the upcoming Star…

by Aaron Hunt

Article

Not Every Problem Is a “Nail” But Companies Typically Reach for the Same Old “Hammer”

Learn how you can avoid the frustrating, ineffective, but widespread “hammer-and-nail” problem-solving pitfall by recognizing four main problem types so you apply the right problem-solving…

by Art Smalley

Article

Cardboard, Duct Tape, and String: The Do-First Mindset & Meaning of Kaizen

Whatever field you work in, if you are responsible for kaizen in your company, strive for making quick changes in your workplace by finding your…

by Mark Reich

Article

How Do You Find - or Develop - the Right Sensei to Lead Lean?

Dear Gemba Coach: We have become skilled at indicating what goes wrong, but solving the problems is not our strength. Making the transformation to problem…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Show Respect, Psychological Safety, and Social Neuroscience

Mike Orzen and David Verble examine the meaning and lean relevance of showing respect, creating psychological safety, and the links between these two.

by Mike Orzen and David Verble

Article

Any advice for someone (me) in sales who fails to see how lean can help?

Dear Gemba Coach: Our company has a long history of lean in manufacturing, but I work in the sales department. We have our own sales…

by Michael Ballé

Case Study

Transforming Healthcare: What Matters Most? How the Cleveland Clinic Is Cultivating a Problem-Solving Mindset and Building a Culture of Improvement

Imagine if you could create a culture of excellence and improvement in a large healthcare organization. That’s the challenge that pushed the Cleveland Clinic to…

by David Drickhamer

Article

Bringing Lean to Your Sales Team

LEI faculty member Brent Wahba discusses the importance of bringing lean into your sales department as well as where to start.

Article

Ask Art: What Do You Look At in a "Pre-lean" Company?

Art Byrne identifies factors such as excess inventory and floor space, long turnaround times, and numerous other elements to study when considering the long-term value…

by Art Byrne

Article

How to Wipe Out IT’s “Technical Debt” with PDCA

Besides bonds, bank loans, and other types of corporate debt, your company also holds "technical debt," the burden of future IT rework caused by superficially…

by Mike Orzen

Article

Ask Art: Is Lean Inward-Focused?

Art Byrne has been asked over and over if lean is inward-focused or customer-focused. There are aspects of lean that may suggest otherwise at a…

by Art Byrne

Article

Ask Art: Why Do People Reject Proof that Lean Works?

Despite compelling proof, most people will find a way to doubt the power of lean to improve their particular work, shares Art Byrne, who argues…

by Art Byrne

Article

What If Elon Musk Took Manufacturing Cars Seriously?

Jeff Liker asks of Tesla: What if it took Toyota’s help seriously in learning basic manufacturing before undertaking disruptive technology change? What if Tesla built…

by Jeffrey Liker

Article

Redefining Work

We need to think about redefining work. Until we – anyone who wishes to bring about organizational change – redefine the actual value-creating work of…

by John Shook

Article

SBP Has a Helping Hand in Hurricane Harvey

Learn how SBP (formerly Saint Bernard Project) is using lean to help victims of Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters -- plus what you can…

by Zack Rosenburg

Article

A Fundamental Question

As I continue to visit your gemba and receive emails (over 500 and counting since I started in September), I am asked many questions. And…

by John Shook

Article

Lean Principles Are Changing How the U.S. Recovers from Tornadoes & Floods

When the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina receded, they uncovered tens of thousands of homes in devastated areas such as St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, that…

by Chet Marchwinski and Zack Rosenburg

Article

Striking With The Zen Stick

A key part of lean coaching is the practice of striking with a zen stick, says Dan Prock. This helps break people out of their…

by Dan Prock

Article

How Lean is Ruining My Life

Since you began learning about Lean, have you noticed it's nearly impossible to get through a day without seeing opportunities for improvement everywhere? LEI Coach…

by Danielle McGuiness