Kaizen Archives | Gemba Academy

GA 604 | Creating a Culture of Problem Solvers with Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe

By Jessica Bush - October 30th, 2025

This week’s guests are Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe. Ron, Sarah, and Leah discussed the problem solver revolution, building trust in yourself and others, working with younger generations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epis

Adaptive Leadership in an Ever-Changing World

By Ricky Banks - October 21st, 2025

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills.” As leaders, we can resist and maintain a singular leadership style, or we can adapt to meet the changing ne

Do Hard Things

By Ron Pereira - October 20th, 2025

There’s an ancient story about Odysseus and the island of the Lotus Eaters. When Odysseus and his men arrived there, they were offered lotus flowers that made them forget their purpose. Those who ate the lotus lost their desire t

GA 600 | Reflecting on Six Hundred Episodes with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - October 2nd, 2025

This week we’re celebrating our 600th episode. Our Director of Studios Greg Nickell asked Ron about the company’s growth over the years, the challenges we’ve faced, what we hope the next generation will take away from

GA 586 | Being Kaizen Ninjas with Kirsten Gallagher and Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - June 26th, 2025

This week’s guests are Kirsten Gallagher and Adam Lawrence. Ron, Kirsten, and Adam discussed Kirsten and Adam’s individual backgrounds, what it means to be a “kaizen ninja,” how to handle reluctant participants,

GA 580 | The Transformation of Operational Excellence with Dr. Adil Dalal

By Jessica Bush - May 15th, 2025

This week’s guest is Dr. Adil Dalal. Ron and Adil discussed the rapid evolution of AI and technology, how it affects lean and operational excellence, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

GA 575 | Continuous Improvement at Corporations vs. Startups with Christopher Lieb

By Jessica Bush - April 10th, 2025

This week’s guest is Christopher Lieb. Ron and Chris discussed Chris’s transition from practicing continuous improvement at a large company to a startup, the mentality he likes to adopt, and more. An MP3 audio version of th

GA 574 | Dealing with Resistance from Management with Tanner McClure

By Jessica Bush - April 3rd, 2025

This week’s guest is Tanner McClure. Ron and Tanner discussed Tanner’s introduction to lean, dealing with resistance from management and supervisors, the “paper doll” tool, and more. An MP3 audio version of this

GA 573 | Initiating Operational Excellence on a Global Scale with Jackey Lin

By Jessica Bush - March 27th, 2025

This week’s guest is Jackey Lin. Ron and Jackey discussed Jackey’s diverse career background, deploying operational excellence on a global scale, overcoming communication barriers, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epi

GA 569 | Reliability Kaizen with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - February 27th, 2025

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed reliability kaizen, what it means, how it relates to the Wheel of Sustainability, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this e

GA 562 | Lean in the Prison Industry with Brandon Bunn

By Jessica Bush - January 9th, 2025

This week’s guest is Brandon Bunn. Ron and Brandon discussed what it looks like to leverage lean and continuous improvement inside prison facilities, some of the obstacles that arise, and how other lean leaders can get involved.

New ways of working text on yellow notepad

Agile Process Improvement Efforts

By John Knotts - September 20th, 2024

In today’s leaner times, businesses are often forced to scrutinize their investments, and unfortunately, process improvement programs like quality initiatives are frequently among the first to be cut. These programs are often per

GA 546 | Navigating Business Turnarounds with Alfonso Aramburo

By Jessica Bush - September 19th, 2024

This week’s guest is Alfonso Aramburo. Ron and Alfonso discussed Alfonso’s experiences with turnarounds, leadership styles, balancing financial restructuring and operational excellence, and more. An MP3 audio version of thi

GA 543 | Using Improv in Kaizen Events with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - August 29th, 2024

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed the Wheel of Sustainability, how it plays into a kaizen event, and how improv can also be a powerful tool in a rapid improvement context. An MP3 audio version of t

GA 542 | The Digitization of Work with Ron Crabtree

By Jessica Bush - August 22nd, 2024

This week’s guest is Ron Crabtree. The two Rons discussed the concept of digital transformation, or digitization, including what it entails, how to navigate these transformations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is

GA 539 | Productivity Reimagined with Jacob Stoller

By Jessica Bush - August 1st, 2024

This week’s guest is Jacob Stoller. Ron and Jacob discussed Jacob’s upcoming book, “Productivity Reimagined,” what it means to be productive, what productivity looks like in different industries, and more. An MP

A Company’s Continuous Improvement Journey

By John Knotts - July 19th, 2024

Embarking on your company’s continuous improvement journey can often be frustrating. This leads to the disheartening realization that your efforts seem ineffective. In the pursuit of excellence, many companies embark on a journey

GA 530 | Keeping People Engaged with Ahmed Radwan

By Jessica Bush - May 30th, 2024

This week’s guest is Ahmed Radwan. Ron and Ahmed discussed engagement, what it means to build a “lighthouse,” sustaining kaizen efforts, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. I

GA 517 | Becoming a Master Black Belt with Carlos Pereyra

By Jessica Bush - February 29th, 2024

This week’s guest is Carlos Pereyra. Ron and Carlos discussed Carlos’s recent graduation from our Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt program, what it means to create psychological safety, measuring success, and more. An MP3 a

GA 514 | Turning the Tables on Ron with Clint West

By Jessica Bush - February 8th, 2024

This week’s guest is Clint West. Clint “turned the tables” this week by interviewing our host, Ron Pereira instead. Together they covered everything from lean in the office, to DMAIC, resistance, and more. An MP3 audi

GA 506 | Roles and Relationships in Kaizen Events with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - December 14th, 2023

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed kaizen events, specifically the different roles involved and how they function together. They also talked about dealing with “CAVE” People. An MP3 audio versi

Harmonizing Organizational Excellence: A Fusion of Agile, Deming, and Toyota Principles

By Steve Kane - November 24th, 2023

In the quest for organizational excellence, many companies turn to established frameworks and philosophies to guide their journey. Among the prominent ones are the Agile Manifesto, Deming’s 14 Principles, and the Toyota Productio

GA 498 | The Power of Improving Less with Chad Bareither

By Jessica Bush - October 19th, 2023

This week’s guest is Chad Bareither. Ron and Chad discussed Chad’s book, “Improve LESS,” Toyota Kata, why continuous improvement is not just “extra work,” and more. An MP3 audio version of this episo

GA 496 | How to Handle Employee Suggestions with Kyle Brady

By Jessica Bush - October 5th, 2023

This week’s guest is Kyle Brady. Ron and Kyle discussed suggestion boxes, how to handle suggestions that aren’t accepted, and how to get started with your own suggestion program. An MP3 audio version of this episode is avai

Completing A Kaizen Event is the Beginning, Not the End of an Improvement

By Steve Kane - September 22nd, 2023

In the world of business, the term “Kaizen” has garnered attention for its transformative power. Originating from Japan, Kaizen means “change for better,” emphasizing continuous improvement. Many organizations a

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