This month A Lean Journey
Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my
journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012 called the
Meet-up.
One of the things I am so
found of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share with each
other. I have learned some much from my
very experienced colleagues since I have been an active contributor. Every month I roundup the best Lean related
posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these fellow bloggers and
contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to share.
The goal of Meet-up is
provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the Lean
community. I will ask these authors a
series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their
perspective on trends in industry.
In today's edition, we are
going to meet-up with Guy Wallace. I met Guy online of course as we shared a
passion for Lean and blogging.
Here are
his answers so you can learn more:
1. Who are you, what organization are you with,
and what are your current lean-oriented activities?
I
am Guy Wallace. I’ve recently retired after 44 years in Enterprise Learning
& Development.
2. How, when, and why did you get introduced to
lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?
I’ve
not been in TQM/Lean directly, but I have used the lean/ process streamlining
principles learned initially at Motorola in 1981 from my training development
work with my internal manufacturing, materials, and purchasing clients,
including Bill Smith who taught me that before Six Sigma it was called VR –
Variability Reduction. And from Geary Rummler, whose work at Motorola and
elsewhere was focused on streamlining work processes to reduce touch times,
cycle times, and costs. Then, in 1990, my client at AT&T Network Systems
gave me a book that all the executives were reading, The Machine That Changed
the World.
After
Motorola, I joined a small management consulting firm in 1982 and was asked to
create a Training Practice function, where I created Performance Based
Instructional Systems Design (ISD) methods that years later led to my 1999
book, lean-ISD.
3. In your opinion what is the most powerful
aspect of lean?
The
measurable reduced work process cycle times, and costs.
4. In your opinion what is the most
misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?
For
me, it was in the early 1990s when Six Sigma practitioners told me that Lean
efforts should follow their efforts. They were wrong, of course, and that
brought to mind what I had learned from the TQM folks at Motorola, which was
that we were still Opportunity Rich.
5. In your opinion what is the biggest
opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be accomplished?
With all of the
focus on Workflows, Work Processes, or Workstreams today, the notion of
“streamlining” (versus “lean” perhaps) is a no-brainer to many clients and
stakeholders.
Depending on
the client and the language they are familiar with, I’d start the conversation
with the word “streamlining” and then “lean” and show them examples of the measured
results from lean efforts that are as close to their processes as possible,
including the time and resources required.
Through their
answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking
behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape. I continue to keep learning and thankfully
with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will,
too.
On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.
"One of the very rewarding aspects of my work has been the interaction with a superb group of colleagues and friends . . . " —Mario J Molina, Nobel Prize winner
Have you ever noticed a leader that others just seem to be drawn to? Where others make it an effort to work with and for them? Some leaders (and people) seem to have an aura about them.
I’m guessing everyone wants to be part of a work culture viewed as favorable and inspiring, but we’re not sure that the necessary actions are taken to make that happen. It’s up to all of us to be that “desired colleague” so trusting business relationships are created and maintained.
Too many people succumb to the mistaken belief that being likeable comes from natural, unteachable traits that belong to a lucky few – the good looking, the fiercely social, and the incredibly talented.
Is that easy? Probably not but being likeable is under your control and implementing Travis Bradberry’s 11 Secrets of Irresistible People is a great starting point. Excerpts include:
1. Treat EVERYONE with respect.
Irresistible people treat everyone with respect because they believe they’re no better than anyone else.
2. Follow the Platinum Rule.
Not the Golden Rule, rather it’s treating others as they want to be treated
3. Ditch the small talk.
Irresistible people create connections and find depth even in short, everyday conversations
4. Focus on people more than anything else.
Irresistible people possess an authentic interest in those around them
5. Don’t try too hard.
Irresistible people don’t make it all about them
6. Recognize the difference between fact and opinion.
Irresistible people recognize that people may see things differently
7. Be authentic.
They know that no one likes a fake
8. Have integrity.
They avoid talking bad about other people, and they do the right thing
9. Smile.
Smiling during conversations will likely have the other person do the same
10. Make an effort to look their best.
Looking your best is a sign of respect for those you interact with
11. Find reasons to love life.
They approach problems as temporary obstacles, not inescapable fate
For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips. It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey. Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.
Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:
Lean Tip #3511 – As a Leader Become a Project Sponsor
Are there processes within your department or business that you would love to see improved? Sponsor a Rapid Improvement Event in an area under your leadership. Partner with the event leader to develop the project charter. This will let your employees know that you are interested in their approach to making improvements in your part of the business and that you are sponsoring the improvement activity.
Lean Tip #3512 – Participate in a Kaizen Improvement Event
Most Kaizen improvement events are multiple days long. Clear your calendar and be an active participant without having decision making influence.
Realize that participants may be nervous by your attendance, so choose your involvement wisely. Hopefully, the improvement team is using a “no-rank” model of decision making where everyone in the event is equal.
Lean Tip #3513 – Attend Kaizen Event Readouts
When participants have spent several long days making improvements to a part of the business, nothing is more demoralizing than not having support when they conduct a readout. They are excited to share with leadership what they have accomplished. This goes a long way in sending the message you value your employees’ hard work and ideas.
Lean Tip #3514 – Thank Team Participants
While this may seem obvious, it is surprising how many times I have seen teams present information at the report out, and don’t get thanked for their efforts. Please, as leaders thank the team members for their efforts.
A simple thank you goes a long way with employees and helps increase employee engagement. They have worked hard to improve your business, thank them! Without them, your company will not grow or improve.
Lean Tip #3515 – Use Leader Standard Work
One of the best tools for sustaining Lean efforts is Leader Standard Work. While often associated with supervisor level employees, management should also follow it daily.
It provides an opportunity for you to become more consistent in your daily activities and shows that you are using the same methodologies as you are asking others to use. Your Leader Standard Work will differ from an operator or supervisor, but make sure you use and follow the same framework.
Lean Tip #3516 – Build on Your Company's Roots to Develop Your Own "Way"
Toyota has its way. You need to have your way. When Toyota works with companies to teach TPS, they insist that the companies develop their own system. Someone did something right to get you to this point. Build on that. Build on your company's heritage to identify what you stand for.
Lean will cut across functional/departmental boundaries that will eventually lead to a restructuring of responsibility for the major business processes rather than the current functional ownership of a department's activity.
Lean Tip #3517 – Hire or Develop Lean Leaders and Develop a Succession System
The key is not to take ownership of the plan but to provide conditions in which the team can implement Lean. The aim of this approach is to create a nucleus of people who are trained in the Lean tools and techniques, who have experienced Lean through hands-on application and who can then with some external support move on to help others create lean processes by transferring their knowledge.
Lean Tip #3518 – Start with Value Stream Pilots to Demonstrate Lean as a System and Provide a "Go See" Model
One of the key lean tools is that of "Value Stream Mapping". This tool when used correctly enables us to create a map of both value and waste in a given process. This map can then be used to understand the waste and its causes before moving on to remove it so that value flows without interruption of waste.
When developing the current state map, future state map, and action plan for implementation, use a cross-functional group consisting of managers who can authorize resources and doers who are part of the process being mapped. Value stream mapping should be applied only to specific product families that will be immediately transformed.
Lean Tip #3519 – Use Kaizen Workshops to Teach and Make Rapid Changes
Use a talented and experienced facilitator who has a deep understanding of lean tools and philosophy but keep training focused on a specific problem. This helps to keep the training relevant to real-world situations and ensures that there are tangible outcomes from training activity. The kaizen might have an objective to reduce setup time from 80 minutes to 60 minutes in four days, for instance.
Lean Tip #3520 – Ensure that All Members of Staff are Correctly Coached
This avoids conflict and delivers a management group that can facilitate change with the teams working for them and so remove waste efficiently. In practice, this means learn by doing first and training second.
Unfortunately, you cannot PowerPoint your way to Lean. The Toyota Way – often held up as the epitome of Lean - is about learning by doing. In the early stages of lean transformation there should be at least 80% doing and 20% training and informing.
The Toyota approach to training, for instance, is to put people in difficult situations and let them solve their way out of the problems.
Lean Tip #3521 – Review Your Processes and Analyze
Take a look at your processes and see what immediate changes can be made. For example, are you experiencing overproduction or excess delays? Perhaps you're shipping items in too many batches when they could be combined together for greater efficiency and cost-saving? Are there problems being caused by the office not processing information quickly or correctly, or perhaps items are coming out with defects?
It is important to look out for where your most obvious problems are and start with these as your initial changes. Ultimately, any customer just wants the best value and service available to them. With all your processes, it is important to ask if this is what you're offering in relation to the cost. Think about what the customer wants and whether you can improve on this to give them results quicker, more cost-effective and to a higher quality.
Lean Tip #3522 – Develop a Culture of Quality Over Quantity
If you're experiencing problems with your output, it may be that your staff are trying to work too fast to meet unattainable goals and are subsequently not maintaining quality standards leading to higher levels of defects or customer dissatisfaction.
Getting it right the first-time round is best for efficiency, so ensure staff realize that quality takes precedence. Don't overburden staff and allow them the time to stop and fix problems in order to always do things correctly.
Accuracy, productivity, and motivation can also be encouraged by introducing employee incentives in the workplace like rewards for the employee of the month or monthly team treats for good performance.
Lean Tip #3523 – Standardize Your Tasks When Possible
Not all tasks can be standardized but putting clear processes in place when possible will ensure tasks are completed to a standard system; making it efficient, productive and lowering the risk of errors. It also means when staff leave, they don't necessarily take their knowledge and processes with them – and when new staff arrive, they can be quickly and easily trained. This also ensures you can spot when something is not working or not being done properly.
Lean Tip #3524 – Make Decisions Slowly, and Implement Them Quickly
When it comes to deciding what will bring about lean management in your workplace, it's important to spend time ensuring it is the right decision and getting a strong consensus from the whole team. Nothing wastes time more than making one decision and changing it the next week. However, once you have decided on the right answer, you need to bring about the implementation of it as quickly as you can.
Lean Tip #3525 – Think Outside the Box
Sometimes the processes that will save you the most time and money won't be the most conventional. They won't fit within the boundaries of common sense and standard rules, so it is important to always think outside of these parameters. Is there something else you haven't considered? Be constantly aware that the answer may not be right in front of you.
This month A
Lean Journey Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who
influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012
called the Meet-up.
One of the
things I am so found of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share
with each other. I have learned some
much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active
contributor. Every month I roundup the
best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these
fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to
share.
The goal of
Meet-up is provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the
Lean community. I will ask these authors
a series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their
perspective on trends in industry.
In today’s
edition we are going to Meet-up with Mark Graban. Mark has the longest running Lean
blog that I know and sets a high standard to follow. I’ve been fortunate to
meet Mark many times and collaborate on a few projects over the years that been
fun and of course great learning opportunities for me. Mark put together a video of his
response:
Here are his
answers:
1. Who are you, what
organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented
activities?
I’m Mark Graban, and I
am fortunate to do a wide variety of things. I work independently through my
own company, Constancy, Inc. — as a consultant (often partnering or
sub-contracting with others), professional speaker, author, publisher, and
podcaster.
My career started in
manufacturing, and that was my focus for the first ten years. However, I had
the opportunity to start applying Lean in hospitals and healthcare settings
back in 2005. That’s still my primary focus, but I enjoy helping people in
other industries.
I am also currently a
Senior Advisor to KaiNexus, a software company whose mission is to spread
continuous improvement through its enterprise platform.
2. How, when, and why
did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?
During my undergraduate
Industrial Engineering studies at Northwestern University, I received an
academic introduction to the Toyota Production System. What they taught was
technically correct, but the topics were limited to technical topics related to
inventory management and production planning—focused on flow and pull.
After growing up near
Detroit, I was skeptical about joining the automotive industry. But, I had the
opportunity to take an I.E. job at my hometown General Motors Livonia Engine Plant. What was the appeal? The plant claimed to work
under a version of the “Deming Philosophy,” but as I’ve written about,
it seemed that the philosophy died at the plant about the same time Dr. Deming
passed away in 1993. I joined in 1995. It very well could have been 1975 in
terms of attitudes and management style, but at least we had computers on our
desks.
The first year there was
incredibly frustrating. The only thing keeping me going was an internal “Lean
Team,” if you will, who had all been hired from Toyota suppliers or Nissan. The
problem was our plant managers were still old-guard “command-and-control” GM
people. They yelled, screamed, and blamed the workers for everything. It was an
incredibly stressful place to work — and it felt like we were playing for a
last-place team with no hope.
I was able and willing
to learn from the Lean Team, even if the plant manager wanted nothing to do
with them. The Lean Team people mentored me. And there was no shortage of waste
or problems to see—and to talk through how their old employers would have done
things and what could be possible there.
Thankfully, after a
year, a new plant manager was brought in to save us. He was one of the original
“NUMMI Commandos” — a GM leader who was sent to learn from Toyota through the
opening and the first few years of operating the joint venture plant in
California. He was such a breath of fresh air. He literally told an all-hands
meeting that the era of blaming the workers was over and that we’d succeed
together, with the same workers being managed in a new and different way.
Over that first year, I
saw the impact of the Lean management style. It wasn’t just a matter of now
being unleashed to implement Lean tools and methods. It was the leadership
mindsets that made such a difference. The new plant manager spent so much more time
out on the shopfloor—listening, building relationships, and building the
employee’s confidence in him.
Within a few years, the
plant almost duplicated aspects of the NUMMI turnaround story. They went from
being quite literally the worst in GM plant performance (in productivity and
quality measures) to being in the top quartile.
This inspired me to try
to help bring this sort of turnaround to others. Sadly, the conditions of that
painful first year still exist in some locations today — including in
healthcare.
3. In your opinion what
is the most powerful aspect of lean?
The most powerful aspect
of Lean is that it’s an integrated system. As Toyota explains, even today, the
Toyota Production System is not just tools and technical methods. It’s also a
philosophy and a set of managerial practices. It’s an organizational culture
that puts a huge focus on developing people. Since the term “Lean production”
was meant to be a genericized term for TPS, successful Lean journeys are led by
leaders who realize it’s an integrated system.
One of the most powerful
components is when Lean leaders tap into the intrinsic motivation of employees
to improve. These leaders aim to engage everybody, enabling them to implement
improvements that matter to them. These leaders also help steer improvements,
especially larger projects, toward the “true north” goals of Safety, Quality,
Delivery, and Cost.
4. In your opinion what
is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?
One misunderstood aspect
is the idea that implementing a few Lean tools here and there will make a
transformational difference. A similar trap is thinking that a series of
week-long Kaizen Events will automatically create a culture of ongoing daily
continuous improvement. If the events are only engaging a handful of the
employees, that’s nowhere near the Kaizen ideal of everybody improving
everywhere, everyday. A related pitfall to that is thinking that certifying a
large number of people as some sort of “belt” will lead to significant culture
change. Leaders must lead the Lean transformation, participating in it and not
just sponsoring or supporting it.
I think the most
unrecognized aspect of Lean is its foundational role of “psychological safety.”
Psychological safety is the feeling or perception that a person can speak up
candidly without fear of being punished or marginalized in some way. This
includes speaking up about mistakes, problems, and improvement ideas.
When Toyota describes
its system and culture, I think many of the writers take it for granted that
you can speak up (or pull an “andon cord”) without fear of punishment. Toyota
team members should expect a helpful and constructive response when they speak
up. When organizations try copying tools and methods from successful Lean
organizations, such as Kaizen boards or andon-type systems, if that
organization has a low level of psychological safety, Lean won’t ever take
hold.
Many organizations
invest greatly in problem-solving training. But if employees don’t feel safe to
point out or admit problems, what is going to be solved? Nothing, or not much.
A final misunderstanding
related to employee participation in Lean is that it can be forced or
incentivized. Getting compliance, such as “I did my four improvements this
year,” isn’t the path to world-class performance. Instead of lecturing people
about their duty to speak up, demonstrate that it’s actually safe and effective
to do so.
5. In your opinion what
is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be
accomplished?
I still think the
greatest opportunity is in healthcare. It’s been over 25 years since the first
“Lean healthcare” experiments took place in the U.S. The problems in healthcare
are real and significant. Estimates suggest one in four hospitalized patients
suffer from a medical error and between 100,000 and 400,000 Americans are killed by
medical errors each year—and we rely on
estimates because real numbers are not tracked and shared by the healthcare
industry. And this is a global problem, with other countries seeing similar
per-capita levels of harm and death.
There are huge
opportunities to use Lean methodologies to improve safety and quality, reduce
waiting times, and improve the quality of care. Where this has been done,
engaging employees and medical staff helps achieve those goals, while also
improving employee satisfaction and reducing turnover.
I think healthcare is
repeating the waves of adoption, decline, and re-adoption that we’ve seen in
manufacturing—first using some tools, then a broader set of tools, then
followed by attempts to adopt a management system at wall levels. It’s
frustrating when healthcare doesn’t learn from manufacturing on this and other
fronts. So, we’ll keep working at it.
Through their answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape. I continue to keep learning and thankfully with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will, too.
On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.
"May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive." —Fennel Hudson
When’s the last time you felt exhilarated, lighthearted, and free? Or the last time you were fully present? When’s the last time you felt alive?
Playfulness, connection, and flow are all energizing, happiness-boosting states when they occur on their own. But when we experience these three states at once—in other words, when we experience True Fun—the effects can feel magical.
When we have True Fun, we are not lonely. We are not stressed. We are not consumed by self-doubt or malaise. Instead, we are focused and present, free from anxiety and self-criticism. We laugh and feel connected, both to other people and to our authentic selves. When people talk about past experiences in which they truly had fun, their faces light up because True Fun makes us feel alive. Prioritize fun, and you will feel yourself coming back to life.
If our goal is a meaningful and joyful existence, both in the long term and in the day-to-day, understanding the importance of our attention is only the first step. Next we must decide, what do we want to pay attention to?
Our natural tendency is always going to be to pay attention to the negative, to scan the horizon for potential attacks. It’s a survival strategy that serves us well when our dangers are physical and real. It also affects our experience of life—we pay far more attention to correcting what’s wrong than enjoying and nurturing what is going right.
We all want lives that are filled with meaning, happiness, satisfaction, and joy—but we don’t know how to get there. These are nebulous destinations with no clear path, so instead, we spend our time chasing, striving, and competing, dwelling on the past as we sprint toward future goals, like drivers who are so focused on the road ahead that the scenery rushes by in a blur.
But we are not problems that need to be fixed. We are lives that want to be lived. Living does not suddenly start when we achieve inbox zero, or win an argument on social media, or earn a promotion. It happens in every moment—it is happening right now.
This month A
Lean Journey Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who
influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012
called the Meet-up.
One of the
things I am so found of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share
with each other. I have learned some
much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active
contributor. Every month I roundup the
best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these
fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to
share.
The goal of
Meet-up is provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the
Lean community. I will ask these authors
a series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their
perspective on trends in industry.
In today's
edition, we are going to meet-up with Jeff Hajek. When I first started Jeff was
a great resource and support for me as he was starting his own business. We
shared a passion for Lean and sharing knowledge with others that led to many
collaborative projects together. Jeff filmed a short video to answer these
questions:
1. Who are you,
what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented
activities?
2. How, when,
and why did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?
3. In your
opinion what is the most powerful aspect of lean?
4. In your
opinion what is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?
5. In your
opinion what is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that
be accomplished?
Through their
answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking
behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape. I continue to keep learning and thankfully
with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will,
too.
This month A
Lean Journey Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who
influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012
called the Meet-up.
One of the
things I am so found of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share
with each other. I have learned some
much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active
contributor. Every month I roundup the
best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these
fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to
share.
The goal of Meet-up is provide you an
opportunity to meet some influential voices in the Lean community. I will ask these authors a series of
questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their perspective on
trends in industry.
Today, we are going to get this kicked off with one of my original influencers and the person behind the idea for the Meet-up from his own blog back in 2010, Kevin Meyer. Here are his answers:
1. Who are you,
what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented
activities?
My name is
Kevin Meyer, and I retired on January 1st, 2024 after 14 years as co-founder
and CFO of Gemba Academy. I continue to
stay involved with the company on various strategic projects. Prior to Gemba Academy I worked in various
engineering, operations, and executive positions at primarily medical device
manufacturers, ending with being president of a mid-market medical device
company for eight years. I am currently
a member of a couple angel investment groups where in addition to investment I
mentor and advise startups on the opportunity of leveraging lean methods.
2. How, when, and why did you get introduced
to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?
Back around
1997 I was working for Abbott Laboratories and transferred to their Salt Lake
City facility to be operations manager of their largest molding operation,
producing parts critical for other factories around the world. The operation was 24/7/365, running at 100%
capacity, but was nearly 3 months behind schedule, creating crazy visibility
and “help” from corporate.
While
researching how to address the capacity issues while waiting for new presses to
arrive in 3-6 months, I came across AME.
Doc Hall, Dave Hogg, and Dan McDonnell from AME taught me about quick
changeover, and by the time the new presses arrived we had caught up and even
had extra capacity. I was sold and
became a lean evangelist from that point on.
We used it to quickly quintuple production at a subsequent facility I
became responsible for, and in my last position we reduced our costs so much
that we could out-compete so-called “low cost” Asian competitors from the
so-called “high cost” state of California.
Along with Ron Pereira and Jon Miller, we started Gemba Academy to give
back and help train others on the concepts that had made us so successful.
3. In your opinion what is the most powerful
aspect of lean?
Respect for
people, hands down. Recognizing that
traditional financial reports place a value on the “cost” of the pair of hands
that is assembling product (or support activities), but there is no offset for
the “value” of the brains that hold the creativity, experience, and
collaborative multiplier - unlike with capital equipment - therefore poor and
damaging decisions are made to chase “low cost labor.” Find ways to tap into the power of those
brains, while providing financial and psychological safety to encourage the
risk that creates learning, even from failure.
4. In your opinion what is the most
misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?
That lean is
only for manufacturers. An interesting
data point is that over the past 14 years, subscribers to Gemba Academy’s
training material changed from being predominantly manufacturers to being
predominantly non-manufacturers. There
has been strong interest, and great results, in healthcare, government,
services, and even education.
5. In your opinion what is the biggest
opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be accomplished?
Lean principles
and methods can be applied anywhere, even outside of work. However, many of them (such as the power of
one piece flow) are counterintuitive and need to be demonstrated to be
believed. We need more people
experienced with lean to help spread the good news into more and different
industries and situations. There are
many lean consultants and many lean training companies, but value is really
demonstrated when the concepts are successfully implemented and returns are
experienced. This takes passionate,
inquisitive, and creative people driving lean change - both from the top in
executive positions but also from within organizations. Lean is being taught in some universities -
such as what Eric Olsen is doing at CalPoly, but a deeper understanding of lean
should be taught as part of core curriculums.
Through their answers to these questions
hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking behind those who are shaping the
Lean landscape. I continue to keep
learning and thankfully with the willingness of these practitioners to share I
am positive you will, too.
