Article

Reflections on DOGE and Efficiency

Can cutting bureaucracy save $2 trillion without sacrificing vital services? A closer look at DOGE’s ambitious plan reveals potential pitfalls and opportunities for transformative efficiency…

by Jacob Stoller

Article

Building Ownership: Insights from O.C. Tanner

How O.C. Tanner builds a culture of continuous improvement by using standardization to empower teams—rather than commonization that enforces sameness.

by Tyson Heaton and Josh Howell

Podcast

Problem-Solving Primer 

In this edition of The Management Brief, LEI’s Josh Howell, Mark Reich, and Art Smalley explore how the four types of problem-solving connect to daily…

by Josh Howell, Mark Reich and Art Smalley

Lexicon Term

Jidoka

Providing machines and operators the ability to detect when an abnormal condition has occurred and immediately stop work. This enables operations to build in quality…

Lexicon Term

Toyoda, Kiichiro (1894-1952)

The son of Toyota Group founder Sakichi Toyoda, who led the effort to enter the auto industry in the 1930’s. Kiichiro, believed that he could…

Press Release

Lean Enterprise Institute Announces Training for Supply Chain, Logistics, Warehousing, and Distribution

The two hands-on workshops will take place October 8-11, 2013, at a working supply chain operations center so attendees can experience lean management principles in…

Article

The Prospects for Lean

As we all return to work in the New Year, I wanted to provide a few thoughts on the prospects for lean thinking in the…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

The Big Opportunity

I started studying manufacturing performance††26 years ago this fall. We set out at MIT to perform the most exhaustive and accurate benchmarking of the worldís…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

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 Lean Thinkers Think About The Gold Mine

Questions and comments†from readers to co-author Michael BallÈ about his book The Gold Mine.

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 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 James Morgan, PhD

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

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

Any advice for a team with a new boss who doesn’t know lean but wants us to switch to agile instead?

Dear Gemba Coach: We have a new boss who doesn’t know lean and is asking our lean team to switch to “agile” instead. Any advice?

by Michael Ballé

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

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

Back to Basics: Jim Womack on Why You Should Never Create an A3 Alone

In this eletter from 2008, Jim Womack (in honor of the then-recent publication of "Managing to Learn") shares invaluable advice for a problem that too…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Creating Value or Shifting Wealth?

How do we judge the progress of the Lean Movement? One critical indicator is our success in extending lean thinking to new industries and activities.…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

How Accounting “Squirrels” Can Ferret Out Waste

While other functions are busy as beavers looking for waste during a lean transformation, your accounting staff is like a squirrel with its head stuck…