Even the founding principles of Lean can and should change. I am fortunate enough to have a professional relationship with Hitoshi Yamada, who is the only direct authority on Taiichi Ohno. Mr. Ohno personally certified

Lean is about action, practice, and continuous development. This is why we talk so much about going to the “Gemba” (place of work). It’s not just to analyze and observe. Going to the Gemba is

I recently shared a rare video from Enna of Shigeo Shingo consulting at AT&T in 1990. It is completely unscripted and gives us the feeling of actually walking through the shop floor while Shingo observes

For better or worse, the first company many people associate with Lean manufacturing is Toyota. This is natural, since many of the most popular Lean techniques were originally developed there. Toyota’s rapid rise to the

I got some great comments on my last post about the difference between traditional management and the true Lean leadership necessary for sustainable, employee driven improvement. I’d like to look a little more into what defines

I have heard a lot of discussion in the Lean community about the difference between Lean and TPS (Toyota Production System). Some say that TPS is over-idolized, and all you need to do is implement

For managers who are new to Lean, the idea of leveraging the creative potential of the workforce can be a challenging prospect. When tasked with managing a team, most people feel an instant sense of

The sad truth is that the word “engagement” is not very engaging. It’s one of those fluffy, ambiguous terms that have become all-too-familiar around the business world, like “empowerment” and “respect”. What does engagement really

Japanese improvement techniques have been emulated across the globe for decades, and none carries more cultural weight than the theory of Kaizen. When I expose Western leaders to Lean practices in Japan, they often express