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John Shook's eLetters

In pioneering books such as Learning to See, Managing to Learn, and Kaizen Express John Shook has taken Lean Thinkers from the fundamentals of implementing lean business systems to new territory.
  • Emerging Stronger
    April 30, 2020

    Learn how GE Appliances and Herman Miller leverage lean practice to design new standardized work for assembly to ensure a safe working environment for employees. read more »

  • What's your problem
    October 31, 2018

    There may be nothing more fundamental to lean thinking and practice than problem solving. For that matter, there may be nothing more fundamental to being human than problem solving. We breathe, we eat, we create civilizations – we deal with (solve, tackle) problems every step of the way. read more »

  • A Humble Conversation
    June 28, 2018

    For the past two years, John Shook and Edgar Schein have enjoyed the honor of engaging in an on-stage dialogue. The occasion? The Lean Healthcare Academic Conference at Stanford. Read more about the exchange. read more »

  • Want Better Employees? Be a Better Employer.
    December 7, 2017

    Every nation in the world is on a quest to create more jobs. As they should be. But, we don’t want just “jobs.” We want good jobs. Our friend Zeynep Ton offers a prescription for good jobs. Ton, MIT professor and author of the Good Jobs Strategy, has seen jobs from many angles. read more »

  • “Do I have to be team leader for the rest of my life?"
    June 27, 2017

    At his talk at the Lean Transformation Summit earlier this year, and at conferences since then, including Industry Week and Shingo, Lantech CEO Jim Lancaster shared these words, expressing a Groundhog Day-like despair at having to solve the same problems on a daily basis (“Didn’t we do this yesterday?”). read more »

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Other John Shook Related Content

Books

Learning to See
Learning to See
Kaizen Express
Kaizen Express
Managing to Learn: Using the A3 management process
Managing to Learn: Using the A3 management process
Four Types of Problems / Managing to Learn Set
Four Types of Problems / Managing to Learn Set
Value-Stream Mapping Workshop Participant Guide
Value-Stream Mapping Workshop Participant Guide

Articles

  • Are You Ready for the Next Crisis?
    We think the presence of a robust, socio-technically balanced lean management and operating system—based on the Lean Transformation Framework—was invaluable in helping Cleveland Clinic handle the challenges arising from the pandemic, write John Shook and Lisa Yerian.
  • Jidoka Supports Leaders Who Welcome Problems with John Shook
    In this clip from last year's Virtual Learning Experience, LEI Senior Advisor John Shook explains the socio-technical system of Jidoka, where the human and machine work are separated and allocated with purpose, and how this lean pillar supports the lean ideal of "respect for people."
  • Two Giants, Two Communities, One Lasting Thing
    In this graceful elegy of the impact of two pioneers who recently passed away, John Shook says: "Ezra and Norm belonged to adjacent communities – one studied Japan, the other promoted enterprise improvement.Ezra and the many proponents of the Japanese management boom set the table; Norm and his peers opened doors to achieving practical betterment."

Webinars