One of the ongoing arguments that people have is that Lean is a system, while other things which have borrowed from Lean or attached themselves to Lean are somehow the same as Lean (and thus, a system). The image at right is an imperfect conceptual model featuring a 1971 Toyota Corolla that … [Read more...] about Lean, Agile, and Six Sigma
Four Types of Lean People
People who identify with Lean management or the Lean movement tend to be dedicated and very passionate, which generates a lot of arguments about right and wrongs ways to think and do things. Most of it has to do with how people understand the fundamental truths (principles) and how and when to use … [Read more...] about Four Types of Lean People
Understanding the Institution of Leadership
When organizations struggle or fail to produce a Lean transformation (the "effect"), the causes commonly cited include:Lack of management support Leaders not personally engaged Fear of change or failure Poor communication No sense of urgency No training or poor training … [Read more...] about Understanding the Institution of Leadership
Radicals Among Conservators
If you are a devoted Lean thinker and practitioner, you are a radical. You may not feel like one, but you are. Your desire is to turn business processes upside down, and in doing so turn people's thinking and the corporate culture upside down. You wish to turn things upside down from the bottom up. … [Read more...] about Radicals Among Conservators
Lean Fighting Blind
There are people in the Lean community who have enormous credibility when it comes to assessing the state of Lean management in corporations and other organizations. They include Mark DeLuzio, Art Byrne, Jean Cunningham, Jim Womack, Dan, Jones, Jeff Liker, and various others. Taken together, these … [Read more...] about Lean Fighting Blind
Waste is a Feature, Not a Bug
In classical management, waste is a feature, not a bug. It is only within the very narrow realm of Toyota's management system and Lean management that waste is bug. This sets up a cognitive dissonance that Lean people have difficulty resolving. It comes from the inability to resolve the distinction … [Read more...] about Waste is a Feature, Not a Bug
Modernizing the Practice of Management
People employed by companies have no understanding of where the company's system of management came from. And they have no understanding of its quality relative to other systems of management. The lack of understanding results in a lack perspective. The image below adds needed perspective on the … [Read more...] about Modernizing the Practice of Management
Dr. Deming’s SoPK and Dr. Emiliani’s SoPP
As you likely know, William Edwards Deming created The System of Profound Knowledge, which was presented in his 1994 book, The New Economics for Industry, Government, Education. Deming's book described how to improve and advance systems to create better outcomes for people. In 2018 I wrote a book … [Read more...] about Dr. Deming’s SoPK and Dr. Emiliani’s SoPP
Lean Can’t Fail!
What is the future of Lean management when some of its leading proponents construct an alternate reality in which Lean transformation processes are claimed to be fail-safe? Perhaps Lean is unlike anything else in existence, given to us fully formed by its creator, and, in some magical or occult way, … [Read more...] about Lean Can’t Fail!