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
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
From Thought Leadership to Banal Thoughts
The late 1970s and 1980s were an exciting time for those who studied Toyota's production system and Japanese management practices. Authors such as Monden, Cusumano, Schonberger, Suzaki, Hall, Imai, Womack, Jones, Fujimoto, and others -- particularly the great Norman Bodek (1932-2020) who published … [Read more...] about From Thought Leadership to Banal Thoughts
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
Tired of Hearing About Toyota?
I know I am. But that is because we have been hearing the same old things about Toyota -- their production system, obeya, coaching, gemba walks, A3 reports, value steam maps, LPPD, and so on. All the stuff that is easy to package and sell by various parties. You don't hear much about Just-in-Time, … [Read more...] about Tired of Hearing About Toyota?
Akio Toyoda’s View of TPS: A Critical Analysis
A recent article in Toyota Times described Akio Toyoda's view of Toyota Production System in the context of: "bring[ing] back what makes us Toyota" "completely redesigning Toyota for the future" and [a] "training program is for Toyota’s management leaders who don’t work at manufacturing … [Read more...] about Akio Toyoda’s View of TPS: A Critical Analysis
What Comes After Lean?
One of the foundations of Lean management is to think -- to be a Lean thinker. That means more than thinking only about Lean and how great Lean is. It means thinking about evolving and adapting to changing times based on needs. It means changing Lean and building upon Lean if the need exists, … [Read more...] about What Comes After Lean?
In Praise of Experts
People who have deep knowledge of TPS (or Lean) typically claim they are not experts due to the vastness of problems and possible solutions. There is a solid rationale for this view. But the reality is they are experts compared to others who have far less knowledge and experience. I would rather … [Read more...] about In Praise of Experts