Lean Management

10 Factors to Avoid Plateaus and Sustain Improvement 0
- Change Management, Lean Management
- August 19, 2015
The other day while visiting a local company regarding continuous improvement the question of how to sustain improvement and avoid plateaus came up. Thinking that this is a very common question many wrestle with I thought I would share my thoughts on the matter. Since the mid-1990’s many US manufacturers have benefited from implementation of
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Focus on “Quick Wins” to Stay Motivated With Transformation Goals 0
- Lean in Practice, Lean Management
- August 3, 2015
When adopting new habits, it’s always a good idea to start with small changes, and work your way up over time. For example, instead of starting an intense paleo-diet, start drinking a glass of water before every meal to increase metabolism. Or, instead of beginning a rigorous workout plan, start walking around the block a
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Tell-Tale Signs Your Employer is Focused On Employee Development 0
- Lean Management
- June 15, 2015
It is hard to think of a more important and most neglected management aspect than employee development. Unfortunately, many organizations do not plan properly for the development of their people and teams. People development without proper planning in place normally results in internal and external conflict, which leads to confusion, low productivity, less motivation, and
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Empowering Employees is About Coaching Not Managing 0
- Lean Management
- April 29, 2015
Employee empowerment has been described and defined in many ways but is generally accepted as: the process of enabling an employee to think, behave, act, react and control their work in more autonomous ways, as to be in control of one’s own destiny. Empowerment may not be a new concept to you, but many organizations
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Dealing with Concrete Heads 0
- Lean Management
- April 22, 2015
The term “concrete head’ is the result of a Japanese translation. A concrete head is someone who is resistant to the changes that Lean brings. Obviously this is a derogatory term. I like the image for someone who doesn’t want to get it. But remember concrete takes a while to set-up. Don’t give up too
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Lean Leaders Focus on Development 0
- Leadership, Lean Management
- March 30, 2015
Successful leaders understand the difference between things and people in an organization. They know that it’s important to manage things, but that it’s even more important to lead people. Leaders don’t just mouth empty phrases like “people are our greatest resource;” they demonstrate by their actions that people – not strategy, products, plans, processes, or
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