As both a participant and witness to the practice of Lean management in higher education, I would like to point out methodological errors in relation to how Lean is practiced in industry. Those in industry who practice Lean management correctly provide us with a standard by which we can compare the … [Read more...] about Methodological Errors in Lean for Higher Ed
Archives for July 2015
The Back Story – Kaizen Forever
This is the back story to the book Kaizen Forever. In the spring of 2014, I was approached by Rudy Go, a retired colleague from Pratt & Whitney and kaizen consultant. He was working for Shingijutsu USA and asked me if I would be interested in writing a book about Shingijutsu. I said that I … [Read more...] about The Back Story – Kaizen Forever
Terrific Blog Posts!
Lean Big Shot: "Please keep writing those terrific weekly posts." Bob Emiliani: "So you like my weekly blog posts? They seem to be upsetting some people. Why not you?" Lean Big Shot: "Of course your posts upset people — you’re opinionated, contrarian, and aggressively attack what you see as … [Read more...] about Terrific Blog Posts!
Winning Over Business Traditionalists
We all know that Lean must be led from the top. That means we must engage top leaders and convince them of the merits of Lean - REAL Lean. Progressive leaders might listen, but have you stopped to think about how business traditionalists view Lean management and its advocates? Business … [Read more...] about Winning Over Business Traditionalists
I Called It!
In December 2004, I wrote an article, "Lean in Higher Education," about the future of higher education in the United States. I made the case that due to declining enrollments and other factors, "...some schools will go out of business, some will merge with other schools, and others will exist for a … [Read more...] about I Called It!
Seddon’s Amazing Discovery
John Seddon has made an amazing discovery: Lean is failing! In a paper much anticipated by few, "An exploration into the failure of Lean," Seddon and co-author Brendan O’Donovan "...show that the ‘Lean’ (Womack and Jones 1996) movement is based on a flawed interpretation of innovations" created by … [Read more...] about Seddon’s Amazing Discovery
Shared Values for REAL Lean
"Respect for People" has come into vogue in the last year or two as people have finally realized, after decades, that focusing on Lean tools yields Fake Lean. The "Respect for People" principle and Lean leadership have been my area of interest for more than 20 years. These topics have been the … [Read more...] about Shared Values for REAL Lean