People often talk about their "Lean journey," a never-ending quest for learning and improvement. But if you look closely, you will see that there are actually two Lean journeys. Most people are on the Lean Journey 1. It is a quasi-random journey with some success and laden with hype. But it is … [Read more...] about Two Lean Journeys
Lean and Lying
Business is not known to be a citadel of truth-telling. Bargaining, salesmanship, exaggeration, misstatements, omission, flattery, puffery, and deception are common in the conduct of business. Leaders commonly analogize business to war or sports, but business may be closer to the card game poker. In … [Read more...] about Lean and Lying
Are Lean People Stupid?
No, not stupid, but certainly blind to how their rhetoric is interpreted by those whom they wish to influence most -- CEOs. We have all done it. I as well as most others, people you know and don't know. Frederick Winslow Taylor did it. Taiichi Ohno did it. Our beloved and iconic Lean CEO, Art Byrne, … [Read more...] about Are Lean People Stupid?
Confronting the Arguments Against Lean Management
In previous work, I explained in extraordinary detail why leaders resist or reject Lean management. Unfortunately, leaders will never explain their dislike for Lean as I described it because it gives away too many of their deepest secrets. Instead, they will justify their dislike for Lean using … [Read more...] about Confronting the Arguments Against Lean Management
Recent WTFU Articles
Karl: What you are trying to do is get people to wake the fuck up. Isn't that right?Bob E. Yes, that's right.Karl: People need to wake the fuck up. Lean management, TPS, or any effort with the wholesome intention of "change for the better," is destined to struggle or fail if people won't wake … [Read more...] about Recent WTFU Articles
Picking Winners
Sadly, most organizations plod along with the same chronic problems, year after year, decade after decade, from one CEO to another. Problems such as these generate daily misery for workers and trouble for all other stakeholders: Poor or slow decision-makingLow employee engagementOrganizational … [Read more...] about Picking Winners
Critique of “5 GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO TRANSFORM HEALTHCARE”
The Lean Global Healthcare Initiative recently came out with a white paper titled "5 Guiding Principles to Transform Healthcare." Its purpose is to accelerate the 10 years that it takes to "reshape management systems and leadership behaviors" given the "pressing issues facing the industry today: … [Read more...] about Critique of “5 GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO TRANSFORM HEALTHCARE”
Boeing 737 Max and Lean Transformation
You are most likely aware of the tragic Boeing 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people and the protracted grounding of the fleet to correct various defects before safely returning to passenger service. One of the most interesting facts about the investigation is Boeing's decades-old design assumption … [Read more...] about Boeing 737 Max and Lean Transformation
Dr. Emiliani’s No’s for Lean
Many of you have heard Art Byrne say: "about 95 percent of all lean conversions fail." To that I'll add: "about 95 percent of all CEOs don't care about Lean." Despite our awareness of these long odds, I, like most Lean practitioners, continue to look for opportunities to promote Lean in my workplace … [Read more...] about Dr. Emiliani’s No’s for Lean