Over the last 15 years of my lean journey, there are two themes that I repeatedly learn, respect, and waste elimination. Both of these concepts are foundational to the Toyota Production System. I was taught that TPS tools and principles exist to expose waste, so it can be eliminated. I was also taught that the execution of these tools must be done in a way that is respectful to people. The latter is […]
At its best Lean can be a powerful catalyst for cultural transformation. In the short term, its implementation can change the way teams interact and how they create and deliver value to the customer and each other. In the midterm, new processes beget new routines that together engender behavior change. Over time, if the Lean effort is sustained, that behavior change gives rise to the fabled continuous improvement mindset […]
Recently I spoke at the AME conference in Boston and presented Conflict is the Root of All Waste – Continuous Improvement doesn’t stick. The conference brings together people interested in Lean and continuous improvement from over 50 countries and is considered the largest lean conference in the world. In addition to exploring conflict, how we deal with it and how it inhibits our change efforts, we also took a deeper […]
There’s an interesting read in this month’s Harvard Business Review (HBR): The Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Decision Making. The article explores the implications of variation in employee judgment and specifically, how to solve for that variation. In essence, the article was about Mura – the Japanese term meaning waste of unevenness / variation.
Like many of my clients, the organization featured in the article hadn’t previously considered the impact inconsistency […]
Last night I spoke at the Armenian Business Networking summer event on Maximizing Workplace Performance, how behavior, not just product or process is the predictor of business success. Whether you are a large business or startup the fundamentals of how to engage people are the same.
To download a copy of the presentation click here
If you’re in the Chelmsford area tomorrow, I’ll be presenting my thoughts on how conflict creates waste in the organization and how that – not just process – is ultimately what derails performance.The ASQ Merrimack is hosting the event. Check it out HERE.
Earlier this month, I was a speaker at the Lean Systems Summit in Portland, Maine. The focus of my presentation was conflict – namely that its existence is what drives waste. Though I’ve shared a link to my PowerPoint, it was mostly a guide to help focus listeners around key ideas and feels a little bare without my narrative. So, below is an overview of the talk’s main points.
The […]
If you’re interested in learning more about why Continuous Improvement doesn’t stick (and getting it to) check out my session at the Lean Systems Summit: Conflict Is The Root Of All Waste
I’ll be speaking on August 8th and would love to meet up if you plan on attending.
Check out the event overview here.
Check out the post event comments and presentation here.
