Toyota is widely regarded as the Lean community's "True North," the compass guiding us on who we should be and what we should do as a Lean community. Twenty years ago this past April, Toyota Motor Corporation published "The Toyota Way 2001" internal document. The basic ideas contained in the … [Read more...] about Revisiting The Toyota Way 2001
Rethinking the Need for Lean
Times have changed since the term "Lean" was first introduced to the world in 1988, 33 years ago. Back then the need for Lean was in relationship to national and corporate competitiveness, cost reduction, quality improvement, and reducing the time from order to delivery. These things remain … [Read more...] about Rethinking the Need for Lean
Cancelling Lean Culture
Lean people believe that a Lean culture is superior to the culture found in classically managed organizations. The belief is based on facts gained through experience, though for some it is based on reports found in books and articles. It is often informed by having worked in different places where … [Read more...] about Cancelling Lean Culture
Mechanistic Approach to Status
In classical management, social status and status-seeking is understood to be both good and right. It is an integral part of the history of success of humans individually and the human race (humanity) whether in business, government, military, or religion. There is a very long, multi-millennia, … [Read more...] about Mechanistic Approach to Status
Lean’s Culture War
What is a culture war? "A culture war is a cultural conflict between social groups and the struggle for dominance of their values, beliefs, and practices." If you have paid close attention over the past twenty years, you may have noticed some actions that promulgated a bit of conflict within the … [Read more...] about Lean’s Culture War
The Problem with Lean Thinking
It's not so much the word "Lean" that is the problem. It is the word "thinking" that is the problem. "Thinking" is a chronic problem among non-Lean people, but it includes Lean people as well. We cannot or do not want to think. Or we think we think, but we do not think. On top of that is a … [Read more...] about The Problem with Lean Thinking
Apparent Problems More Profitable Than Actual Problems
It is common knowledge that the biggest management consulting businesses go from company to company "solving" the same problems using the same or similar "solutions" whose trade names change over time. The long-lived success of top tier consulting's business model is significantly aided by the … [Read more...] about Apparent Problems More Profitable Than Actual Problems
Ohno’s Theory of Nonproductivity
Mr. Taiichi Ohno had a theory of nonproductivity that people know but which they do not truly understand. In the image below, Ohno-san makes a clear differentiation between the types of work that workers do: work that is waste, non-value added work that is necessary under present conditions, and net … [Read more...] about Ohno’s Theory of Nonproductivity
Twenty-Four Books
What was the purpose of writing 24 books? It was equal parts an intense personal curiosity, a desire to share what I have learned with others, and to make it easier for leaders to understand and practice progressive management. It is the last of these -- to make it easier for leaders to understand … [Read more...] about Twenty-Four Books