The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a lot of business leaders to re-think many things, from paid sick leave to health insurance for all to the shortening of supply lines reducing dependence on globalized supply and the wisdom of spending cash on share buy-backs. One thing is for sure, all of this will … [Read more...] about Lean and COVID-19
Lean Got a Bad Start
When the public first became aware of Lean production in 1988, and Toyota's production system in the early 1970s, a small army of people leaped into action to do two things: 1) study TPS and Lean and 2) convince business leaders they should adopt Lean. That sounds like a reasonable plan. It was the … [Read more...] about Lean Got a Bad Start
Creating a Lean Culture
Everyone recognizes that creating a Lean culture is the responsibility of the top leaders of an organization, and that creating a Lean culture is difficult. Much has been written by me and others about the need for business leaders to do this hard work if they wish to succeed with Lean management. … [Read more...] about Creating a Lean Culture
Winning With Lean
The goal of any athlete competing in a race is to win. How much do they want to win by isn't something athletes usually think about. They are content if the smallest margin of measurement results in a win. For example, a runner wins if they finish 0.001 seconds ahead of their nearest competitor. … [Read more...] about Winning With Lean
Psychological Safety and Lean
Psychological safety has recently become a subject of interest in the Lean community (see here, here, and here). In her book The Fearless Organization, Professor Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety as: "...the belief that the work environment is safe for interpersonal risk taking. The concept … [Read more...] about Psychological Safety and Lean
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 Middle … [Read more...] about Understanding the Institution of Leadership
The Leader’s Prerogative
There is a continuing, decades-long, lamentation in the Lean community, that leaders do not understand Lean and that they misuse Lean for cost cutting which results in layoffs and other zero-sum outcomes. There is a belief that if only leaders understood the true intent of Lean, then they would … [Read more...] about The Leader’s Prerogative
Wacky Lean House
This year is the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). There will surely be a big celebration. But in my view, there is less to celebrate than meets the eye. Here's why: LEI has controlled the progressive management agenda for the last 20 years. That means they … [Read more...] about Wacky Lean House