Leadership and Management Insights

"I am totally impressed by the breadth and depth of Bob's knowledge and how clearly he communicates the truth about Lean in his blogs and writings. He is possibly the greatest leader of true Lean Thinking alive in the world today." - John D. 

"Bob's writing is passionate and provocative, stretching us to consider the implications as it touches on various aspects of society, economy, politics, and management. - Bruno G.

All blog posts © Bob Emiliani

Leaders: Are You In or Out of Spec?
Genba vs. Business Ideology
Chief Confusion Officer
Asking the Wrong Question (for Decades)
Fake Lean People
The Road to Nowhere
Respecting Local Suppliers
What Everyone Misses
Taylor’s Vision
Uncovering Problems
Are You Curious to Ask Why?
Improving the Economy
Business Decline Contingency Plan
A Second Chance for Lean?
Introducing My AI Chatbot
Building On the Work of Others
Advice to Young Lean Professionals
Trapped by Traditions
“Why do you post on LinkedIn every day?”
Turning Gold into Platinum
Turning Gold Into Lead
The Lean Tool System
Strange Lean World
Revisiting The Burning Platform
Always Study Your Adversary’s Case
Do You Choose Willful Ignorance?
My “Approach”
The Toyota Half-Way
Scary Halloween Posts
The Tools in Your Toolbox
The Recipe for Being a Top Leader
Six New Videos!
Your Biggest Lean Mistake
Lean Politics
New Lean Principles
Ten Truths Lean People Need to Embrace About Lean
The Lean Spectrum
Leadership Behaviors?
Your Emotional Connection to Lean
Take the Next Big Step
TPS and Mother Earth
Revitalizing Leadership Training
“Insights for Improvement” Seminar Series
So You Want to Be a Lean Professional?
Kaizen Kaizen Kaizen
What I Learned
Words and Facts Matter
Revisiting The Toyota Way 2001
Mechanistic Approach to Status
Two Lean Journeys
From Thought Leadership to Banal Thoughts
Cuckoo for Kata
The Problem with Lean Thinking
Great Expectations
Apparent Problems More Profitable Than Actual Problems
Misusing the “Respect for People” Principle
Perpetuating A Lean Mystery
Ohno’s Theory of Nonproductivity
Twenty-Four Books
Helpful Feedback to “Another Lean Fan”
Who to Blame for Leaders’ Declining Interest in Lean?
Lean and Learning
The Fraudulent Claim of High Wages
Cold, Crass, and Graceless
Norman Bodek (1932-2020)
The 737 Max and CSCU Board of Regents
No Santa Claus?
Mass Producing Happiness
Lean — Survival or Decline
Guide to Books
Are Lean People Stupid?
Move Over Lean!
Wonder No More
The Backstory – Improvement
Betting It All On Leadership Behaviors
Confronting the Arguments Against Lean Management
Tired of Hearing About Toyota?
What Happened to Lean?
Recent WTFU Articles
Ahead Yet Still Far Behind
Lean’s Tragic Path Dependence
How Lean Induces Debilitating Cognitive Dissonance
The Enemy of Lean is Classical Management
What Comes After Lean?
In Praise of Experts
Energizing the Lean Movement
Lean Anguish
Lean Got a Bad Start
Management IQ
Wanting to Know, Preferring to Ignore
The Yin and Yang of Management
Criticism of Triumph of Classical Management
The Backstory – Eliminating Waste in Teaching
Psychological Safety and Lean
Are You a Lean Expert?
We Succeed When We All Agree?
Toyota’s Free Riders
Lean, Agile, and Six Sigma
Four Types of Lean People
Understanding the Institution of Leadership
Radicals Among Conservators
Lean Fighting Blind
Lean Leaders Impede the Advancement of Lean
Dr. Deming’s SoPK and Dr. Emiliani’s SoPP
Lean Can’t Fail!
Lean Graft Incompatibility
Static vs. Dynamic Lean
In Search of Lean CEOs
System T and Lean
Bookmarks for Your Favorite Lean Books
The Worst Lean Advice
Business as a State of Confusion
How Soft Skills Impair Problem-Solving
The Bad Boy of Lean
Promotion of Lean Must Evolve
The Shingo Experiment
Fulfillment by Status Quo, Inc.
What About the Past State?
Where Scientific Thinking Lives and Dies
Passing the Lean Baton
The Elephant in the Room
Sharing the Knowledge
Profoundly Antagonistic Systems
Dismantling Classical Management
Escape the Ideological Bubble
Lean Football
That’s Not My Job
Business as Experimental Science
Truth Has Consequences
Selling Lean to Business Leaders
The Outcome of Serious Research
The Leader’s Prerogative
How to Never Run Out of Ideas
Why Do CEOs Hate Operations?
Management as an Engineering Problem
Lean and the Burning Platform
Lean Retrospective
Why Business Leaders Vote “No” for Lean
Reimagining Lean
Lean People Never Understood CEOs
How Leaders Sabotage Lean
Money vs. Process View of Cost
Business Leaders’ Case for Ignoring Lean
The Problem Lean May Never Overcome
Is Lean Too Arrogant to Save Itself?
What’s Holding Lean Back?
Lean Transformation is Not Difficult
My Contributions to Lean
The Role of a Professor in the Lean Movement
Lean Fatigue
Freeish Trade, Economic Nationalism, and Lean
Why University Teaching Rarely Improves
Maintain Academic Excellence?
The Toxic University
Excellence in Teaching
It’s Time for Colleges to Cut Costs
Learning to See
Professor Emiliani’s “Nos” for Teaching
Handmade Visual Controls
Wacky Lean House
Comparing TPS and Lean
Producing Business Results With Lean
Why Lean Keeps Thriving
Reusable Processes
Shingijutsu Super Kaizen Workshop
Coaching Lean Without Knowing
Higher Education’s Ultimate Failure
Critic and Conscience of the Lean Movement
Teachers, Trainers, Coaches, or Faculty?
Lean: Past, Present, and Future
Critique of “Let’s Ban the Eighth Waste”
Digital Transformation & Lean Transformation
Digital Transformation vs. Lean Transformation
Final Exams, Final Mistake
Mother Kaizen
The Greatest Business Problem Ever
Improvement in Higher Education, Circa 1912
Evidencing Improvement
New Mindset for Higher Ed Leaders
Why Universities Don’t Improve
Introducing Lean in Your Organization
Hopes and Dreams
Economists, Economic Growth, and Lean
Lean Without Drama
Spooky Historical Parallels
A Little Bit of Knowledge Can Be…
Lean Thinking vs. Kaizen Thinking
Unbundling Higher Education
Toyota’s One Best Way
Kaizen Evolution
Kaizen: A Comprehensive Business Strategy
Kaizen: A Simple Leadership Development Strategy
Kaizen: A Simple Innovation Strategy
Kaizen: A Simple Employee Wellness Strategy
Kaizen: A Simple Tax Abatement Strategy
Critique of “Dealing with Lean’s Crazy Relatives”
Thoughts on “Lean Thinking at 20”
Thoughts On “Lean Thinking – The Making of a Book”
Fear of a Lean Planet
The Yen, the Dollar, and TPS
Flipped Classroom? Yawn.
What is Lean Without Respect for People?
The Great Lean Mystery
The Improvement Mindset Is Rare
3P for Lean Transformation
Smart Leaders, Dumb Decisions
Evolution in Lean Teaching
Lean is Illegitimate. Or is it?
Fealty to the Lords of Lean
Time to Refocus on Kaizen
The Humanity of Shingijutsu-Kaizen
Shingijutsu-WOW
Lean’s Next 25 Years
Lean Transformation Variation
Employees Goofing Off
Lean Success and Lean Failure
An Engineering Approach to Leadership
Is Lean the Same as TPS?
Improving How Universities Improve
Toyota-Style Kaizen
Improving Leadership Processes
Motivations and Aspirations
Personalizing Discovery and Learning
The Trouble With Tenure
Criticizing Lean
Teaching Lean Leadership
Evolving Out of Need
Lean Transformation Failure Analysis
How Economics Disrespects People
How Kaizen Restores Craftsmanship to Work
Lean’s Bad Timing
What is Lean Management?
Lean’s Promise Broken
What’s Your Lean Provenance?
Lean and State Government Agency Leaders
Lean Management and the Public Good
Why Business Schools Should Teach Lean Management
Lean MBA or Conventional MBA?
Higher Ed’s Big Lie: Academic Excellence
Existential Threats to Lean
A Critique of LeanCT
Lean Hypocrisy
The Power of Kaizen
The Illusion of Understanding
The Lean Movement’s Strategic Errors
A Marker of Lean Success
Shingijutsu Super-Genba-Kaizen Workshop
Inept vs. Immoral Leadership
Higher Learning and Lean Management
Riches of Embarrassment
Lean Governor, Anti-Lean Board of Regents
Reefer Sanity
Additive Leadership
Where Unqualified Means Qualified
University Annual Budget Process
Research and Teaching: A Great Pairing
Teaching Across the Curriculum
Treating Management Psychosis
What Do Professors Actually Do?
Back to Basics
New Book: Shingijutsu-Kaizen
The Lean-Industrial Complex
The Rise of Credentials
Growing Tomatoes
Searching For Lean Sustainability
Observe and Ask “Why?”
A Shameful Legacy
Run Universities Like Businesses
Methodological Errors In Lean Government
Outsourcing Fallacies in Higher Education
Bet On A Boiler
Abnormal Conditions and Lean Oddities
Methodological Errors in Lean for Higher Ed
Winning Over Business Traditionalists
Seddon’s Amazing Discovery
Shared Values for REAL Lean
Kaizen for Higher Education
What’s Not To Like About Lean?
Lean Higher Ed Conference Presentation
New Book: Kaizen Forever
The Most Important Thing
Kaizen Your Political Skills
Graduation Day
Removing Confirmation Bias Against Lean
Need My Help?
Lean’s Kiss Of Death
Finding Great Teachers After Graduation
Flaws In Lean
Lean Intellectualism
Lean Overproduction
How To Get Started With Lean In Higher Ed
Exploring Leadership
Political vs. Merit-Based Change
The Five-Day Kaizen
Politics and Public Universities
Coaching Leaders
Third Lean Higher Ed Conference
What You Should Get Out of College
Abnormal Condition Alert!
Why Skills Matter
Big Data, Leaders, and Lean
Reverse Toyota Way
Engaging Faculty in Lean Teaching
Origin Of The Phrase “Kaizen Event”
When Higher Ed Is Just A Game
Defining “Respect for People”
Course Blueprint
The Economic Benefits of Lean
Just-Too-Late
Political Correctness Comes To Lean
Higher Education Quality
Who Is Your Leader?
The Lean Refinery
Imaginary Customers
Evolution and Future of Lean
“All Deans Are A**holes”
Toyota’s Secret
A Lost Decade
Grants For Improving Teaching
Much Study, Little Understanding
Chihiro Nakao: An Amazing Teacher
Buyers’ Market Changes Everything
Ohno’s Problem-Solving Methods
Professors’ Credibility Problem
Perfect Misunderstanding
Leading With Respect Is The Old Standard
Students Must Demand Change
64th Japan Genba Kaizen Seminar
The Human Case For Lean
Bosses Flunk Critical Thinking
Yasuhiro Monden
Quality Education Charade
The Backstory – First Lean Leadership Course
Education and Satisfaction
Shifting Definitions of “Lean Thinking”
Stasis In Teaching
Leading Without Respect
The Squeaky Wheel
Class Participation
Graduating Defective Products
Better Than Shared Governanace
Despoiling The “Respect For People” Principle
The Value Of Higher Education
Lead With Respect
Taming The Faculty
How I Teach Lean Leadership
Imperiling Student Success
The Backstory – Writing In A Tough Tone
Treat Students As Adults
Hire More Faculty
Focus On Flow
A Better Way To Teach
Reflecting On Shingijutsu-Kaizen
Nakao-san and Shingijutsu-Kaizen
Lean In Higher Education
Selling Change to Finance VPs
Opportunity To Do Good
Priceless Small Improvements
No Call, No Response
Fat Behaviors Forever
Who Needs to Improve?
Lean Curiosities
Worrying About Worries
Lean Training Lineage Matters
Lessons Well Learned
Early History of CI in Higher Ed
The Value Of A Professor
No Confidence In No Confidence Votes
The Clear Solution: Leadership Processes
Leadership Behaviors: The Path To Lean Culture
Lean Teaching Visual Controls
Thoughts on Lean Higher Ed Conference
Don’t Wait For Your Leaders
Skilled Educational Labor
The Musician And The Manager
When Leaders Improve, Everyone Improves
Metrics Madness
My Students’ Visual Controls
Is Everything We Do Value-Added?
Why No “Respect for People?”
Evolution Of The RFP Principle
Evolution Of The RFP Principle
My Student Course Evaluations
Lean Capital
Leadership Tips for College Presidents
Shingijutsu-Kaizen Conference: Day 1
Shingijutsu-Kaizen Conference: Day 2
Fewer Problems, More Time
Lean Leader’s Visual Control
Accreditation Process Improvement
Improving Critical Thinking
Transparency and Technology
Ignore Change Management
Lots of Good Ideas, Except One
Human Touch vs. Technology
Labor Unions and Lean
Quality of Lean
Continuous Flow University
Theories Have Consequences
Students’ View of Online Courses
More Learning From Mistakes
Read To Succeed
Learning From Mistakes
What Employers Want – Part 3
“Sales Over Safety, Profit Over Principle”
Problem-Solving Behind the Front Line
Competition in Higher Education
Observing Lean Evolve
Good Writer or Good Thinker?
Eliminating the Six Criticisms of Lean
Same Six Criticisms of Lean
What Employers Want – Part 2
Lean For the Next Generation
Errors Every Day
Job Security
Breaking the Cycle of Abuse
McKinsey Finally On Board!
STEM Imbalance
What Is Good Quality Teaching? – Survey Results
Students’ Excuses
No Lean Without Kaizen
Fast or Slow: It’s Your Choice
Why Professors Can’t Teach
Winners and Losers
What Is Good Quality Teaching?
Higher Education Quality
Fairness for Adjuncts
Carnegie Foundation Expert Convening
Look It Up
Management Innovation
The First VSM of a VSM Event!
The Backstory – Lean Is Not Mean
Corporatization or Mismanagement?
How Could We Be So Stupid!
Great Lean Leaders
Why Measure the Cost of Regulation?
Instruction, Not Construction
The Language of Lean
Teaching Surveys – Interim Results
The Department Chair’s Job
Still Beating Up Suppliers?
Professors Marketing Programs
Lean Must Do No Harm
Enrollment Recovery Plan
Lean Heresy
Criticism of Accreditors
Teachers’ Grading Tricks
Confounded by Reality
Teaching Clearly
Kudos to John Seddon
Discordant Realities
Assessing Assessment Methods
Lean as Decoration
Responding to Enrollment Declines
Sloppy Drunk on STEM
What Students Notice
Why I Self-Publish
The Future of Lean
Toxic Textbooks
EH&S and Lean
Accreditation Critics
The Lean Syllabus
Help Myself, Then Help Others
Celebrate, But Remember
Machines Must Serve People
The Historic Kaizens at Rensselaer
The Toyota Way for Outsiders
Make the Connection
Textbook Games
The Academe and the “Real World”
Henry Gantt and Lean Accounting
Henry Gantt and Lean HR
The Backstory – Real vs. Fake Lean
Eyes on Lean
Visions for Change
The Lean Case for Tenure
The Profits Generator
Respect for Labor
Mistake-Proofing Teaching
Remembering Key Learnings
My Favorite Quote
Reflections on Lean Teaching
Employers’ Responsibilities
Tenure is the Problem
Respecting Part-Time Faculty
Learn From Teaching
Blame the Teachers – Part 2
Blame the Teachers – Part 1
The MOOC Effect
What Employers Want
45 Teaching Errors
Are You Satisfied With 10 Percent?
Single Skilled Leaders
MOOCs and Economies of Scale
MOOCs: The Omnibus Solution?
Student as Customer
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