Tag: Kaizen
Video of Dr. Russell Ackoff Discussing Systems and Pieces
On weekends, I like to share videos or fun stuff that gets us thinking. Today, I'm sharing a video with the legendary Dr. Russell...
Tampa Bay Business Journal Features Lean at Moffitt Cancer Center
The full article requires a subscription, but John Toussaint and I were each quoted in this article from last Friday: "Toyota techniques drive profit,...
Interview with Masaaki Imai – Ohno and Respect for People
The Kaizen Institute website has posted an excellent text Q&A with Masaaki Imai, who you might recognize as the author of the relatively early...
Don’t Speed Up or Improve a Workaround Process – Fix the...
Hospitals are full of workarounds and fire fighting, it's a pretty common problem. That's one reason cost is so high and quality is often...
Got Waste? Who Ya Gonna Call?
Last week, I gave the keynote talk at a hospital's twice-yearly lean conference for leaders and staff. As part of the seasonal decorations around...
A Breath of Lean Positivity – Paul Akers and FastCap
I had an amazing conversation on Saturday with Paul Akers (pictured at left), the founder and president of FastCap, a company in Washington, a...
Watching Some Bad Online Lean Training, or “L.A.M.E.” Training
I don't often do a "cranky blog post" but Ive got a head cold (as I write this on 9/30) and I've gotten sucked...
Consulting Case Studies Need Statistical Validity
One of the books that's had the biggest impact on my work is Donald Wheeler's Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos. It's the...
The One Where John Seddon Inaccurately Criticizes Jim Womack & Dan...
When I read John Seddon's book Freedom from Command & Control: Rethinking Management for Lean Service, I was a fan. I thought, "Here is...
Management Improvement Carnival #111
Again, I'm very happy to host the Carnival for John Hunter and his Curious Cat blog. My job here is to share some noteworthy...
Controversy over New Standardized Work at Some Starbucks Stores
As a regular Starbucks customer (especially so when I lived in Boston, a few stories directly above a Starbucks store), I try to follow...
Top 10 Signs You’re In a Fear-Based Workplace
Dr. W. Edwards Deming always said we need to drive out fear from organizations, as point 8 of the 14 Points said:
"Drive out fear,...