Article

Lean Labor Relations and The Customer First Principle

Here’s the scene: A production line at a car and truck manufacturing plant is stalling several times a day resulting in serious workflow issues. Read…

by Jeff Smith

Article

Any step forward in a lean transformation is a good step -- right?

Dear Gemba Coach: Surely a step forward in a lean transformation is a good thing, even if it’s not completely in the right direction?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Don't Gloat Too Quickly - If This Could Happen to Toyota, It Could Happen to You ...

Okay, so how do you respond to a "crisis"?  My recent encouragement to Toyota President Akio Toyoda that "It isn't the crisis, it's how you respond…

by John Shook

Article

Lean at Heart: Kanban

The underlying principles of lean can be found everywhere in daily life. In this article Masia Goodman identifies examples of "Better" practices that overlap with…

by Masia Goodman

Article

Leaning Up Baby

Olivia Talman, a former intern at The Lean Enterprise Institute, knew problem-solving was important, but wasn't sold on Lean at first. In her first piece…

Article

How to Test Your A3 Thinking

Are you pretty sure you've completed the A3 process correctly but want to test the logic of your thinking? Or could you use some advice…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

"Our people are our most important asset"…Really?

This well-intentioned phrase can carry a buried and profoundly disrespectful message, implying conventional capital asset thinking, treating the people in the organization as an asset…

by John Shook

Article

Homicide by Example?

My LEI colleague Dave LaHote is fond of saying that managers - and especially senior managers - overestimate their effectiveness, particularly as they seek to…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Where can I find information about visual management?

Dear Gemba Coach: I can’t find much written about visual management although it seems an important part of lean – any idea where to look?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Frontiers of Lean

It is eighteen years since the first western firm, Danaher in the USA, began its lean journey guided by disciples of Taiichi Ohno, the architect…

by Dan Jones

Article

Lesson From Japan: Day Five

On this final set of shared lessons from Japan, our lean learners reflect on the spirit of kaizen and the notion of employees as assets.…

by Lean Leaper

Podcast

5 Guiding Principles for Tailoring a Path to Lean Transformation

Learn from top healthcare leaders who are transforming their organizations through lean thinking and practice.

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

Tapping Technology to Boost the Power of Lean: A Talk with Jeff Liker and Jim Morgan

What principles should guide lean thinkers as they introduce digital tools into their work? How about people, processes, and purpose, say Jeff Liker and Jim…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Leaning Your Boss

What do top managers need to learn to be able to lead a lean transformation? I get asked this question frequently. The answer is the…

by Dan Jones

Article

Asking Questions

It is always refreshing going to the gemba – actually walking a value stream all the way through an organisation. This is where I learn…

by Dan Jones

Article

Shopping for a Sensei

We at LEI have been getting a lot of requests recently to help companies find lean expertise for harder times. Here are some simple guidelines…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Learning the Hard and Soft Skills of Lean Coaching

While lean is often associated with process improvement, error reduction, and greater efficiency in a wide range of numbers; most veterans argue that above all…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Japanese Cult Invades Saskatchewan Government

Lean has become a political football in the normally congenial province of Saskatchewan. Read what John Shook has to say about the matter.

Article

Achieve Your Deeper Goals Through Daily Work With Hoshin Kanri

Hoshin kanri is a living process of planning, testing ideas, adapting, and learning, says Jeff Liker, in which people work towards clear targets addressing the…

by Jeffrey Liker

Article

Lean Healthcare Lessons and Preparing for Change

Develop capabilities by asking the right questions