Lean Archives | Page 20 of 67

Extremely Long-Cycle Standard Work

By Jon Miller - April 20th, 2020

The benefit of standard work, and good standards in general, is that it frees us to from having to figure out or to remember how to do things correctly. Good standards help us quickly distinguish between normal conditions and abnormal

GA 315 | Dealing With Uncertainty with Steve Kane

By Jessica Bush - April 16th, 2020

This week we’re sharing the audio of a presentation on coaching, leader standard work, and uncertainty by our own Steve Kane. Steve’s advice on uncertainty is particularly relevant to today. A MP3 audio version of this epis

Vaccination, Knowledge Reuse and Organizational Learning

By Jon Miller - April 13th, 2020

Animals and other organisms that are capable of learning acquire problem solving ability in several ways. They may do so through trial-and-error, via observation and social learning, or even from the sudden appearance of insight on how

Restart to a Future State, Not the Previous State

By Kevin Meyer - April 10th, 2020

One of my favorite books is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. When I first read his book several years ago it put a new spin on lean’s perspective on waste and value by applying similar concepts to

GA 314 | The 4Cs of Trust with Jamie Flinchbaugh

By Jessica Bush - April 9th, 2020

This week’s guest is Jamie Flinchbaugh. Ron and Jamie discussed the important role of trust in continuous improvement, and reviewed the 4Cs of Trust. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this epi

Reflections on Four Weeks of Sheltering in Place

By Jon Miller - April 6th, 2020

Washington State has been officially sheltering in place since March 23rd. It feels like six week ago. Perhaps this is because we eased into social distancing a couple of weeks earlier, seeing the writing on the wall. The governor exte

How to Manage Chaos & Uncertainty

By Ron Pereira - April 3rd, 2020

One of the most efficient ways to work through an obstacle, or uncertainty, is to learn as fast as possible through experimentation. I think it’s safe to say that most of us have been facing lots of change and uncertainty over the la

GA 313 | The Eight Pillars of Total Productive Maintenance with Balaji Chandrasekar

By Jessica Bush - April 2nd, 2020

This week’s guest is Balaji Chandrasekar. Ron and Balaji reviewed the pillars of TPM, the challenges involved, and more. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn: Th

Now More Than Ever, Huddle Daily as a Team

By Jon Miller - March 30th, 2020

One of the challenges we face when working from home, or as part of a virtual team, is staying connected with people on the team. Today more of us than ever are in this situation for the first time due to stay-at-home orders related to

Give People a Sense of Certainty Through New Routines

By Steve Kane - March 27th, 2020

The Power of Routine So much of our daily activity is performing routines, even though we may not be aware of it. Getting out bed and ready for work; picking up the phone, wallet, and keys on the way out the door; stopping for coffee;

GA 312 | Practicing Kata in Secret with Tracy Defoe

By Jessica Bush - March 26th, 2020

This week’s guest is Tracy Defoe. Ron and Tracy discussed why people practice Toyota Kata and continuous improvement in secret, and why it’s problematic. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. I

Respect and Gratitude to the Base of the Pyramid

By Jon Miller - March 23rd, 2020

One of the most important geometric shapes in lean management is the inverted triangle. Pyramids are commonly used to represent an organization chart. The boss is at the tip of the pyramid, with senior leaders immediately below, and th

GA 311A | COVID-19 Q&A with Mark Graban, Dr. Greg Jacobson, and Dr. Mason Mileur

By Jessica Bush - March 20th, 2020

Today we’re releasing a special episode on the COVID-19 virus. Mark Graban, Dr. Greg Jacobson, and Dr. Mason Mileur recorded a webinar answering some commonly asked questions about this global pandemic, and what we can do to stay

GA 311 | The Lean Construction Movement with Hal Macomber

By Jessica Bush - March 19th, 2020

This week’s guest is Hal Macomber. Ron and Hal discussed the lean construction movement, the Last Planner System, and more. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:

What is Exponential Growth and Why Should You Care?

By Ron Pereira - March 16th, 2020

Like many companies my dentist recently sent out an email outlining the steps they’re taking to keep their patients safe. And while it was a “normal” COVID-19 related email there was one line that really struck me.�

The Unexpected Benefit of Cancelling Everything

By Jon Miller - March 16th, 2020

In the past week an unprecedented wave of closures, cancellations, and restrictions on the movement of people has passed over the world. No doubt there is more to come in the following days as local and national authorities work to con

GA 310 | The Role of Motivation in Continuous Improvement with Brad Miller

By Jessica Bush - March 12th, 2020

This week’s guest is Brad Miller. Ron and Brad discussed how motivation factors into continuous improvement, and a modern motivation framework that could be useful to managers. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for

Five Reasons Why It’s Hard to Stay Lean

By Jon Miller - March 9th, 2020

Many organizations find that they don’t always sustain the gain they make from continuous improvement activity. Over the long-term, this is one of the greatest challenges to keeping management committed to building a Lean culture

Deepening the Lessons of Crisis

By Kevin Meyer - March 6th, 2020

I’m sure all of us are paying close attention to the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and thinking about how it has and will affect our families, organizations, and society. It’s too soon to say whether this will

GA 309 | Lean and Self-Development with Pete Kuehn

By Jessica Bush - March 5th, 2020

This week’s guest is Pete Kuehn. Ron and Pete discussed Pete’s lean journey, including the effect lean has had on his personal life. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you

One Point Lesson: How to Wash Your Hands

By Jon Miller - March 2nd, 2020

This is a public service announcement with a touch of Lean learning. One of the best ways to avoid infection from the novel corona virus known as COVID-19 is to wash our hands. Should we be exposed to the virus, proper hand-washing can

The Difference Between Naive, Purposeful, and Deliberate Practice

By Ron Pereira - February 28th, 2020

In 2008, Malcolm Gladwell popularized what many refer to as the “10,000 hour” rule in the book Outliers. Gladwell explained that in order to master a particular skill a person would need to practice that skill for approxi

GA 308 | Lessons Learned at Toyota with Andy Reith

By Jessica Bush - February 27th, 2020

This week’s guest is Andy Reith. Ron and Andy discussed working at Toyota, the challenges small businesses face, and more. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:

Productivity, the Three-day Weekend the Future of Work

By Jon Miller - February 24th, 2020

An interesting news feature on NPR reported on a company called Perpetual Guardian which launched successful 4-day work week program for their employees. People are paid their full five-day wage, as long as they get their work done in

GA 307 | The Role of Automation and AI in Continuous Improvement with Lauren Hisey

By Jessica Bush - February 20th, 2020

This week’s guest is Lauren Hisey. Ron and Lauren talked all about automation and artificial intelligence, what the future holds as far as continuous improvement goes, and more. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available fo

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