Tag: Respect for People

Respect for People: Leadership, Trust, and Sustainable Improvement

“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.

The Power of Asking “What Do You Think?”

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Mark's post: I'm still away on vacation, but happy to have some guest bloggers, including Chad Walters. Unlike his past posts, today's not about...

Great Question from the ThedaCare Weekly Report Out – Respect

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I had a chance again today to attend ThedaCare's weekly "report out," where a few hundred people gather in an auditorium to review and...

The Evolution of ‘Lean Production’: Reflecting on 25 Years Since the...

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TL;DR: This post revisits the origins of lean production through John Krafcik's 1988 article, reflecting on how lean manufacturing began as an integrated management...

Deming on Leadership: The Role of a Manager of People

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TL;DR: Deming argued that the role of a manager of people is not judging performance, ranking employees, or enforcing authority--but creating trust, understanding systems,...

Toyota Brings TPS & The Toyota Way to India – The...

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Here's a fascinating article: "How Toyota brought its famed manufacturing method to India." The piece starts with a story about a classic Toyota management practice...

Creating a Culture of Respect in Healthcare: The Impact on Patient...

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There's an excellent blog post on the Virginia Mason Medical Center site: "Does respecting co-workers make patients safer?" As a leader in adopting and adapting...

Tips for Shadowing in Healthcare

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"Shadowing" is a very powerful method. In a healthcare setting, we can shadow patients or staff to better understand the "current state" of how...

Lean is Patient, Lean is Kind

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Today I'm linking to a guest post that I wrote for my friend Marc Rouppe van der Voort who works at St. Elisabeth Hospital...

Toyota’s Respect for People Principle: The Heart of Lean Thinking

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tl;dr: In this post, Mark explores Toyota's principle of "Respect for People" within the context of Lean methodologies. He delves into how this principle...

My Simple Keurig Mistake–and What It Teaches Us About Human Error...

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tl;dr: A simple coffee mishap--placing a mug upside down under a Keurig--illustrates a core Lean lesson: human error is inevitable, so blaming people doesn't...

Guest Post: The Risk of Ignoring Muri

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Today's guest post is by author  Natalie Sayer, who was my guest for  Podcast #145.   While doing research for another project, I had the...

Respect for People Goes in All Directions

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Today's guest post is by Natalie Sayer, who was my guest for Podcast #145.   Most of the literature I read about "respect for people"...
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