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Ask Art: Is “We are customer-driven” a good lean strategy?
Art Byrne is often asked if "customer-driven" is a good lean strategy. The answer is yes - as long as it's done right. Read more.
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Why Coaching is the Hardest Job I've Ever Had
"In 2011 a new term entered my company... we went 'lean'," writes Kasey Corbishley. "The office buzzed with anxiety as whiteboards were erected, and the…
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The Angry Team Member and the Changing Organization
Toyota veteran and lean coach Lesa Nichols reflects on one of the most challenging and ultimately rewarding conversations she had with a team member.
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The Human Element of TWI (Training Within Industry)
"When I’ve taught the TWI courses in countries all over the world, from India to Malaysia to Mexico to Germany, everyone understands and embraces these…
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And Now For Something Completely...Lean
Lean practice is no joke, argues Brent Wahba. And yet he draws lessons from great comedy to help address this key challenge: What is your…
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Bringing Respect for People to the World's Sweatshops
Jim Womack weighs in on how we might use lean thinking and practice to tackle the ongoing, systemic problem of sweatshop labor.
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Eiji Toyoda and Management Muda
Enthusiasts know how tremendously influential Eiji Toyoda has been to the development of Toyota and its revolutionary management system. Perhaps his story will never be…
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Is there such a thing as lean manufacturing engineering?
Dear Gemba Coach: I keep reading about lean engineering and lean design. Is there lean manufacturing engineering?
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Art of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 8: Processing
Understand the two aspects of the waste that requires a careful understanding of customer requirements. Watch the final part of an eight-part series focusing on…
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Problem Solving For Lean Continuous Improvement
What does real lean problem-solving look like? In this column, David Verble shares his experience at Toyota, revealing how the company culture bases its problem-solving…
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Lean business-IT integration, Part Three: What is an integrated business-it value stream?
In this, the third article in a five part series on lean IT, LEI faculty member Steve Bell explores the fundamentals of integrating business and…
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Making the World Better by Advancing Lean Thinking and Practice
When establishing a scholarship and philanthropy fund, the Lean Enterprise Institute practices what it preaches.
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Leading and Learning the Toyota Way
Lean coach and LEI faculty member, Tracey Richardson, tells us why a learner's attitude is essential for effective leadership and in creating a lean management…
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Leader Standard Work: Where to Start
Striving to be an effective lean leader or manager is well and good, but without the discipline of leader standard work, you're not likely to…
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Throw Out Your Assumptions About Your Customer
LEI intern Francesco Possio reflects on his Lean Startup Machine workshop experience at the Cambridge Innovation Center.
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Kaizen is Fun? Really?
Dear Gemba Coach: I have been learning lean for three years now. My question to you: How is Kaizen 'fun'? Doing lean shakes people out of…
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Ask Art: What to Look for in a Lean Team Leader
One of Art Byrne's most-asked questions is, "What are the key traits for a lean team leader?" His recommendation might surprise you - take a…
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Matched Pairs: To Improve Supplier Relationships, Start Inside Your Organization
Jim Morgan shares how adopting a Matched Pair strategy that teams supply chain and engineering leaders with a common plan, shared objectives and a powerful…
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5 Missing Pieces in Your Standardized Work (Part 1 of 3)
John Shook offers an overview of the five most frequent misunderstandings about this fundamental lean practice and expands on three of them.
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Lean Is A Product-Driven Strategy
What is at the core of lean? Michael Balle argues, in terms of our best known example: "Toyota is not an efficiency-driven company. It’s a…
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