Book Review: PROACTIVE Problem Solving — A Fresh Take on Building a Problem-Solving Culture
- Book Review
- June 22, 2026

Lean Thinking promises much, but delivers at best a thirty percent success rate. Author Bob Brown, a certified Lean Thinking leader, attacks this problem the same way astrophysicists understand the workings of the universe. Assuming there is a reason for the abysmal results of change management, especially with Lean Thinking initiatives, he postulated Lean Thinking
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There have been countless literary volumes written about Lean (I know I have read a lot of them) but alas organizations still fail to be excellent. Too many business leaders see process improvement as a mere project, something separate from the more “pressing” goals of profits and growth. That is where they go wrong. And
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It can be invaluable to learn from the creator of a system and the book “Management Lessons from Taiichi Ohno” does just that. Takehico Harada is the author of this comprehensive and informative guidebook into the Toyota Production System (TPS) and to the man who invented it, Taiichi Ohno. Mr. Harada shares firsthand knowledge of
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Value Stream Mapping is a foundational approach to visualizing your systems to optimize value through focused improvements. My good friend Karen Martin and Mike Osterling present a detailed guide to this approach in their book Value Stream Mapping. Karen and Mike attempt to address 3 common gaps in value stream mapping (VSM): 1) Unfamiliarity with
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One of the aspects of being a vocal Lean practitioner I enjoy is the frequent request for editorial/book reviews. I find great value in continuously learning. I want to share a recent review with you. Strength-Based Lean Six Sigma: Building Positive and Engaging Business Improvement is a valuable and insightful book written by David Shaked.
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My good friends at the Lean Enterprise Institute sent me Jim Womack’s newest book Gemba Walks Expanded 2nd Edition. In a significantly expanded second edition of his popular Gemba Walks book Jim Womack illustrates the power of rooting improvement efforts in deliberate visits to the “gemba,” a Japanese word for the place where value is
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