So much chatter these days about "Respect for People," developing people, worker appreciation, and so on. All good stuff, but do people correctly understand the context? Yes, perhaps, but only superficially, in my view. Mr. Taiichi Ohno was a senior executive of a large corporation -- not just an … [Read more...] about Taiichi Ohno the Businessman
Who to Blame for Leaders’ Declining Interest in Lean?
Business leaders' declining interest in Lean in recent years is a problem for the Lean movement and those who promote Lean management. How might this important problem be solved? Is there a quick and easy way to do it? A solution one can jump to? Business leaders are skilled creating canards and … [Read more...] about Who to Blame for Leaders’ Declining Interest in Lean?
The Disaster of Lean Training
What have we learned after 30+ years of training people in Lean tools and methods, Lean thinking, Lean management, and Lean leadership? As I look back on my experience as a trainer, I am grateful for the opportunities, experience, income, favorable reviews, and feedback for improvement. Yet I, and … [Read more...] about The Disaster of Lean Training
The Fraudulent Claim of High Wages
For more than 30 years, CEOs have claimed that wages for workers are too high. American CEOs were the first apprehend and exploit this claim followed by CEOs in most other countries. Is this true? Are wages too high? Consider that Western-style business is normally conducted under the doctrine of … [Read more...] about The Fraudulent Claim of High Wages
The 737 Max and CSCU Board of Regents
An opinion piece published in The Connecticut Mirror on 22 December 2020. For more than 15 years I have taught a graduate course where students perform formal failure analysis of senior management decisions. We study disasters such as the Wells Fargo fraud, Equifax data breach, GM faulty … [Read more...] about The 737 Max and CSCU Board of Regents
Stupidity at Scale
In my graduate-level Lean leadership course, I introduce students to eight categories of preconceptions that are deeply intertwined with one another with respect to classical leadership and management practice. I then ask following question: How do you know when economic, social, political, … [Read more...] about Stupidity at Scale
Mass Producing Happiness
Most people are not familiar with the history of progressive management because they do not see how it is relevant to today's problems or needs. But I can assure you this history is relevant to humanity today and beyond. Beginning in the late 1800s with what later became known as Scientific … [Read more...] about Mass Producing Happiness
Process-Results Dichotomy
One of the things that Lean practitioners learn at the start is the importance of understanding processes so that better results will be consistently achieved. This intimate relationship between means and ends is obscure to most people, and so documenting and studying process is a big revelation. … [Read more...] about Process-Results Dichotomy
Move Over Lean!
COVID-19 is having a remarkable impact on business -- not in terms of shutting businesses down, but what business leaders are doing to adapt and survive. A principal strategy is to shift to various forms of e-commerce to deliver the goods and services that people need. The "process improvement … [Read more...] about Move Over Lean!