I've done this before with the WSJ… since I was in Seattle, I saw the Sunday Seattle Times, which had many articles that had some inadvertent (and unsaid) Lean angle (or so I thought).
Article 1: Snap goes deadline at Boeing
Here's a column about the recently announced delays with the Dreamliner program. I won't chime in on this, but it's an extension of the discussion that Kevin and company often have over at Evolving Excellence.
Article 2: Why build Light Rail when Buses Already Work Fine?
There's a lot of very visible construction here in Seattle, a new light rail line that will go from downtown to SEA-TAC airport. The letter isn't online, but a woman wrote to the editor, complaining about the $1.5 Billion in spending and insisted it was wasteful since there's already a bus line that makes the trip for a $2 fare. I'm guessing a rail line probably has more capacity, but it's very much a fixed asset, a “monument” if you will. Buses are very flexible, both in terms of routes and incremental capacity, right? But, then again, buses do add to traffic congestion, so maybe there's no easy answer about which waste is worse.
Article 3: $4.5 million for a boat that nobody wanted
I don't have the energy to get outraged over this. It's a story of some major “overproduction” waste driven by our corrupt Congress. There are many examples in the above article about Congresspeople “earmarking” that the military buy certain items from local companies… items that aren't needed or aren't wanted. Pure muda. Waste of overproduction.
If it's such obvious overproduction, why do we buy these things? It's not because anyone is stupid, just corrupt. It makes me angry as a taxpayer and embarrassed for our political system. There's no stated “quid pro quo” because it doesn't need to be said by anyone involved. Step 1, make small donation to Congressperson. Step 2, Congressperson gives you profitable business. Step 3, use some of the profits to give larger donation to Congressperson, ensuring future earmarks business. It's disgusting.
Article 4: Good bosses | Workers explain how their leaders won their hearts and minds
Ending on a positive note, here's a story about “good bosses.” There are stories about caring and being concerned for others. But it's not just about “being nice.” I think the Lean concept of “respect for people” goes beyond that. It's the EMS supervisor who wants people to be open about problems that need solving:
Kirk routinely shows up early to ask the outgoing night crew about any problems they had.
Sometimes respect means being demanding, yet fair and consistent:
“Shahin demands hard work and competence from all her employees,” said Diamond. “She demands the same of herself, and stays at work as late or later than most of us. She is also extremely fair and compassionate.”
Not all of the examples could qualify as “Lean,” but it certainly is encouraging whenever you can read about something other than the Dilbert-esque horror stories.
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