Here is your chance to listen to and learn from someone who helped develop, improve, and expand Toyota's production system!This is a rare opportunity to learn genba kaizen from Chihiro Nakao. Nakao-san has more than 50 years of genba kaizen experience and was a part of the original autonomous … [Read more...] about Shingijutsu Super Kaizen Workshop
Critic and Conscience of the Lean Movement
In my previous blog post, Teachers, Trainers, Coaches, or Faculty?, I gave examples of imprecision associated with Lean that affects people's understanding and practice, and which has a large impact on people, process, and outcomes. Among other things, I noted how Lean trainers are referred to … [Read more...] about Critic and Conscience of the Lean Movement
Lean: Past, Present, and Future
This year, 2017, is the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). It is an organization that has inarguably been the most successful and influential in shaping people's understanding of "lean," due in part to the central role that its founder, James P. Womack, and … [Read more...] about Lean: Past, Present, and Future
Critique of “Let’s Ban the Eighth Waste”
Simon Elias, Director of Lean Competency System, recently wrote a blog post titled "Let’s Ban the Eighth Waste." Simon questioned the addition of an eighth waste, "untapped human potential," and identified five criteria to determine if something identified as waste actually is waste. So, … [Read more...] about Critique of “Let’s Ban the Eighth Waste”
Mother Kaizen
Anyone interested in continuous improvement should be thoroughly displeased with how kaizen has been so effectively separated from Lean. It seems that most people simply don't care about kaizen these days. That's just terrible.Oddly, disinterest in kaizen is fueled by interest in Lean tools. … [Read more...] about Mother Kaizen
The Greatest Business Problem Ever
The image at right depicts the greatest unsolved problem in all of business: How to move CEOs and senior management teams from bottom to top - from conventional management to progressive (Toyota-style) management.The story begins around 100 years ago, when the proponents of Scientific Management … [Read more...] about The Greatest Business Problem Ever
Introducing Lean in Your Organization
I was recently asked an interesting question: "We want to introduce Lean to our workforce. What advice do you have for a president on the structure and content of an inspirational lecture to introduce Lean?" The word "inspirational" is what makes this question interesting to me. Lean is usually … [Read more...] about Introducing Lean in Your Organization
Hopes and Dreams
One of the things that attracted me to Toyota's management practice years ago was the requirement that people must be respected in order for continuous improvement to take place. This includes all stakeholders - employees, suppliers, customers, inventors, and communities. Toyota's management system … [Read more...] about Hopes and Dreams
Spooky Historical Parallels
Historical parallels are never exact. But, they are often eerily similar to one another in circumstances and outcomes. Let's have a look at the parallels between Scientific Management 100 years ago and Toyota Management (combination of Toyota Production System and The Toyota Way) … [Read more...] about Spooky Historical Parallels