“Respect for people” isn’t about being nice—it’s about how leaders design systems, make decisions, and respond to problems. In Lean organizations, respect shows up through listening, job security, psychological safety, clear communication, and a commitment to learning rather than blame. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and examples that explore respect for people as a core Lean principle—one that enables trust, engagement, continuous improvement, and better outcomes for customers and employees alike.
One of the core ideas of the Toyota Production System is the recognition that people are indeed human and are therefore fallible (part of the “respect for humanity” tenet of TPS). No amount of “be careful” warnings will prevent all…
iPod City: Apple criticized for factory conditions There was a fairly shocking story in the Sunday Mail, a London newspaper, about the iPod factory conditions in China. The full text of the article isn’t available online, but I was able…
Dell: Facing Up To Past Mistakes I’ve written about this before and I think this article highlights some of the key differences between Toyota and Dell. Dell’s “Direct Model” has often been compared to Toyota and is sometimes called “lean”.…
Honda plans new Midwest auto plant More on Honda. Interesting strategy here. Where most companies try to be cheap and hire the lowest-cost employees possible, Honda is looking to do the opposite, in a way: “David Cole, president of the…
Much has been written and talked about over the last two years about the “human side of lean” and the “respect for people” pillar of TPS. Only through our own failings, my colleagues and I learned the hard way that…
CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character I bet there is a corollary, I’ll propose it: “Blogger says how CEO’s treat hourly assembly personnel can predict a lot about lean success.” I agree with…
Here is an outstanding profile of Gary Convis, the President of the Toyota Georgetown (KY) plant and the highest-ranking American executive in the company. I’ve written about Convis before and have seen him speak at a Lean conference. He really…
Jim Press: ‘I was in love with cars every second’ Here is a bio of Toyota’s North American Sales President, Jim Press. It’s interesting to see the contrast between Toyota leadership and Ford leadership. Press has been with Toyota since…
Kaizen and Lean Manufacturing thoughts | Gemba Panta Rei Here is a sad update on Merck’s “lean” efforts (click the link above). I hate to call what they are doing “lean” but that’s what Merck is calling it. I posted…
Evolving Excellence Blog: : I Don’t Speak Japanese Another provocative post from Bill Waddell and the Evolving Excellence blog. I’d like to amplify his point that Japanese management guru Kenichi Ohmae was off base in his comments: “Indians are not…
TL;DR: In Part 2 of this interview, the late Norman Bodek explains why Lean fails when leaders cling to control. Drawing on Toyota examples and “Quick & Easy Kaizen,” he argues that long-term success comes from developing people, trusting teams,…
TL;DR:The late Norman Bodek argues that Lean fails not due to poor workers or missing tools, but because management systems prioritize short-term results over developing people. Toyota’s real advantage, he says, is its long-term commitment to respect, learning, and empowering…