Top company leaders are Genba 1. Dr. Emiliani's interest has long been Genba1. Click on image to enlarge. When the world became aware of Toyota's production system in the mid-1970s, there was one genba -- the shop floor. I call this Genba 3. When Lean arrived in 1988, there remained just one … [Read more...] about How Many Genbas are There?
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
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!
Lean Retrospective
After nearly 25 years of study, practice, and teaching Toyota's management system and Lean management, it is time for a quick look back. Over the years I have found that many people are confused by my work because I am neither a pure Lean promoter nor a pure Lean critic. My body of work spans both … [Read more...] about Lean Retrospective
Why Business Leaders Vote “No” for Lean
Every Lean promoter and advocate knows that the adoption of Lean management is in business leaders’ interests, not against their interests. The interests encompass that of the business itself and all its stakeholders: employees (executive and non-executive), suppliers, customers, investors, … [Read more...] about Why Business Leaders Vote “No” for Lean
Lean Transformation is Not Difficult
Lean transformation is often said to be difficult. But what if that is only the apparent problem, based on our perspective as people who work to promote Lean and help organizations transform from Classical management to Lean management? The difficulty clearly looks to us like a lack of understanding … [Read more...] about Lean Transformation is Not Difficult
Solving the Lean Transformation Problem
Throughout my work over the last 25 years, I have always sought to better understand Toyota's management system (TMS) and its derivative, Lean management (LM). From the beginning, the aspect that interested me most was leadership. Specifically, what leaders (CEOs, presidents) do or don't do to … [Read more...] about Solving the Lean Transformation Problem
Why Aren’t You Solving Ohno’s Problem?
The Lean Enterprise Institute's Lean Transformation Framework encompasses five questions. The first question is: "What problem are we trying to solve?" For most people, it is a reasonable first question to ask. But there are two other important related questions: 1. Who … [Read more...] about Why Aren’t You Solving Ohno’s Problem?
Reusable Processes
I have long been concerned about organizations that struggle with Lean transformation and the impact on the company, its employees, and other stakeholders. People’s lives and livelihoods depend upon Lean, so it’s no small matter when Lean succeeds or fails. This has been a major focus of my work for … [Read more...] about Reusable Processes