Lean Archives | Page 39 of 67

New Gemba Academy Videos: Seven Wastes in Spanish

By Kevin Meyer - September 13th, 2016

We recently announced the launch of Gemba Academy Español. We began with 5S and now we are very excited to announce the release of the next course, The Seven Deadly Wastes (Los 7 Desperdicios de la Producción)! As a reminder, anyo

What Are Your Lean Precepts?

By Jon Miller - September 12th, 2016

At Gemba Academy, we are not shy about using Japanese words when it helps to keep the lesson clear and concise. For others, less is more when it comes to using Japanese terminology as part of lean practice. Whatever words are used, th

The Value of Depth and Detail

By Kevin Meyer - September 9th, 2016

Nearly three decades ago one of my first bosses pulled me aside – I forget the underlying incident except that I had somehow screwed up – and bluntly told me to “sweat the details.” I clearly remember it to this day, and it bec

GA 127 | How to Apply Lean to Different Industries with Gary Beaudette

By Jessica Bush - September 8th, 2016

Today’s guest is Gary Beaudette, a consultant with an impressive lean background. Gary and Ron discussed Gary’s career thus far, the different industries he’s applied lean to, and more. An MP3 version of this episode

How to Spot Signs of a Lean Collapse

By Jon Miller - September 5th, 2016

Before your lean effort collapses, it slows down. That’s the gist from an article on what it looks like when society collapses, which discusses findings from a recent National Academy of Sciences paper. We can view an organizat

Lean Thinker Challenge #9

By Ron Pereira - September 2nd, 2016

Welcome to another edition of the Lean Thinker Challenge! It’s been awhile since we’ve done one of these and I’m excited to hear what you think! The Situation You’ve worked at the same company for 4 years as a Lean Specialist.

GA 126 | Scaling Lean with Ash Maurya

By Jessica Bush - September 1st, 2016

Today’s guest is Ash Maurya, an entrepreneur and author in the Lean Startup realm. Ash explained how lean applies to entrepreneurship and discussed his books, Running Lean and Scaling Lean. An MP3 version of this episode is

The Lean Journey: All in a Day’s Work

By Jon Miller - August 29th, 2016

Since the earliest days (ca. 1995) of the application of Toyota Production System principles being described as “Lean”, this word has been paired with “journey”. Lean is a journey, we are told. It is a trip.

GA 125 | How to Introduce Lean with Dalton Prather

By Jessica Bush - August 25th, 2016

Today’s guest is Dalton Prather, a Lean Coordinator who is at the beginning of his continuous improvement journey. Dalton shared his approach to introducing lean, his goals for the future, and more. An MP3 version of this episod

When Externalizing Costs Erodes Brand Value

By Jon Miller - August 22nd, 2016

What would you say if your lean expert suggested cutting the cost of poor quality by drastically reducing inspectors and letting customers find the defects after they left the building? Ludicrous! You exclaim. That’s no cost red

Create a Learning Path

By Steve Kane - August 19th, 2016

This article is a continuation of the series based on best practices from the Gemba Academy community: Part 1: Don’t let perfect get in the way of good Part 2: Create a Learning Path Lean, for many organizations, involves transfo

GA 124 | How to Utilize People-Centric Leadership with Ron Harper

By Jessica Bush - August 18th, 2016

Today’s guest is Ron Harper, President of Cogent Power Inc and Canadian AME board member. Ron talked to us about people-centric leadership, how to transition to it from a traditional leadership approach, the obstacles you might

Standard Work for Dairy Farmers

By Jon Miller - August 15th, 2016

The next time someone claims to have a work day that is too unpredictable, non-repetitive, requires flexibility, or otherwise not amenable to structuring and improving via leader standard work, have them study A Day in the Life of a Da

Respect by Sharing Knowledge

By Kevin Meyer - August 12th, 2016

Gaining knowledge is the first step to wisdom. Sharing knowledge is the first step to humanity. – Unknown Well over a decade ago when I became president of a medical device company, I already had many years of Lean experience. I kn

GA 123 | How to Reflect on Your Lean Journey with Phil Roether

By Jessica Bush - August 11th, 2016

Today’s guest is Phil Roether, President Emeritus of AME. Now retired, Phil shared some stories from his impressive career and reflected back on the ups and downs of his lean journey thus far. An MP3 version of this episode is

Rebranding the Suggestion Box? Do Explain

By Jon Miller - August 8th, 2016

This suitcase-sized box was placed just outside the front doors of an old Catholic school in Oregon that had been converted into a hotel and restaurant. It boldly demanded EXPLAIN. Perhaps it the nuns that once ran the place put it t

GA 122 | How to Improve Your Lean ROI with Cheryl Jekiel

By Jessica Bush - August 4th, 2016

Today’s guest is Cheryl Jekiel, Founder of the Lean Leadership Resource Center. Cheryl explained how the concept of ROI, or return on investment, applies to the people-aspect of lean. An MP3 version of this episode is available f

The Three “I” of Continuous Improvement

By Jon Miller - August 1st, 2016

Gemba Academy recently launched a health & wellness program for its employees. I am very excited as this will force us to keep investigating what it takes to engage, improve and sustain positive change. We hope to give you updates

GA 121 | Leading AME with George Saiz

By Jessica Bush - July 28th, 2016

Today’s guest is George Saiz, President and CEO of AME, or the Association of Manufacturing Excellence. George talked about how his first few months in the role have gone, and shared some of the wisdom he’s gathered throug

GA 120 | How to Invest in People with Jamie Parker

By Jessica Bush - July 21st, 2016

Today’s episode features the audio from our recent webinar with Jamie Parker, a Region Manager at FedEx Office and passionate lean practitioner. Jamie gave us a detailed look at FedEx Office’s lean journey, including both

How Lean Organizations Control the Speed of Time

By Jon Miller - July 17th, 2016

They say time flies when you are having fun. Those of us that are middle aged or beyond often feel that time passes more quickly now than when we were younger. The two seem to contradict each other. Or does this mean that time flies

Don’t Let Perfection Get In the Way of Progress

By Steve Kane - July 15th, 2016

The Gemba Academy team is in a great position to interact with many lean practitioners around the world. With a thousand or so subscribing organizations and presumably hundreds of thousands of Gemba Academy users, we’re able to see

GA 119 | How to Handle Skepticism with Brian Rotsaert

By Jessica Bush - July 14th, 2016

Today’s guest is Brian Rotsaert. Brian and Ron discussed Brian’s continuous improvement journey, including his experiences with coaching and mentoring over the years. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download

The Easiest Kaizen Trick in the World

By Jon Miller - July 11th, 2016

There are many tips, tricks and techniques that lead to shortcuts on the continuous improvement journey. I call these kaizen tricks. Many so-called “lean games” such as the 5S letter game, the catch ball game, the A puzzle

Back to the Beginning with Ohno, Suzuki, and Yoda

By Kevin Meyer - July 8th, 2016

As I was researching the remarkable similarities between Lean and Zen for my book, The Simple Leader, one of the most interesting – and meaningful – was the concept of the beginner’s mind. Taiichi Ohno said, “Ob

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