Lean Roundup #59 – April, 2014

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of April, 2014.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

The Big Kata – Michael Lombard discussed the benefit of having one single scalable approach to improvement.

Look Below The Waterline to Understand Lean – Hakan Forss says you need to look past those things that are visible like tools and techniques to truly understand Lean.

Make Meetings Meaty, Mobile and Memorable – Liz Guthridge says there is value in incorporating three elements into as many meetings as possible.

The Road to Lean – Bruce Hamilton says when the road to Lean is paved with the wrong intentions; it is destined to hit a dead end.

More on Toyota's "Respect for Humanity" – Michel Baudin explains Toyota’s “Respect for Humanity” from those who experienced it directly.

How Do You Make Time for Improvement? Here are Nine Takes – Mark Graban summarizes the feedback from 9 experts on making time for improvement.

Ask Art: How Do We Prevent Backsliding? – Art Byrne explains the proactive steps that can be taken to prevent backsliding on improvements.

How Lean Improves Individual Productivity – Dan Markovitz shows how Lean can be used to improve personal productivity.

Respect and Leadership - You Can’t Have One Without The Other - Jacklyn Whitaker shares three tips to improve your leadership skills by respecting your team members.

The Power of Hope in Improvement – Karen Martin says that while need more than hope to get results it is good place to start.

Quality of Lean – Bob Emiliani says the quality of Lean in an organization is driven largely by people being allowed by their leaders to think.

“Be Lean” vs. “Do Lean” – Chad Walters says there is a difference between being Lean and doing Lean as a corrective measures.

Value Stream Mapping: Ferrari or Pinto? – Karen Martin explains 6 common mistakes to avoid when value stream mapping to get the most benefit.

How to Create a Dysfunctional Culture Where Employees & Customers Are Unhappy – Mark Graban takes the what not to do approach to employee culture as a lesson for all.

Sustaining Lean – Bob Emiliani compares the decline of Scientific Management in 1908 to that of Lean Management today and what it takes to avoid it.

Bus Schedules and the Lean Management System – Mark Hamel explains why mature Lean organization maintain a profound and pervasive respect for schedules.

What Is Respect For People? – Chad Walters shares his thoughts on respect for people and what it means for organizations.

Working outside in rather than inside out – Bill Waddell discusses supply chain optimization from customer’ s view or the company’s view.

Productivity Problem Solved – Bill Waddell shares four common productivity measurement traps to avoid.

No Time for Kaizen? Check Your Assumptions – Jon Miller says kaizen is part of the job and the CEO sets the priorities.

This is honestly more about leadership than lean – Art Smalley says that lake of time for improvement is leadership problem.

Lean is the strategy! – Michael Balle says that Lean leaders look for kaizen in the Gemba.