Thu, 10/05/2017 - 12:01
I recently posted a version of the graphic below with the caption: “Not perfect, but close. It’s about right.” The response was overwhelmingly positive. A great majority of people recognized it as a unique comparison, one that they had never seen… Lean Management Is Illegitimate. Or Is It?The methodology still waits for acceptance in traditional management models
Tue, 09/20/2016 - 16:03
To this day, lean management has yet to enter the mainstream in business. It remains solidly on the fringe, despite great efforts by many people over many decades.
You almost never hear of lean management in the business press unless the article… What Went Wrong?Recognizing strategic errors in the lean movement
Wed, 02/24/2016 - 12:46
Nearly 30 years after the start of the lean movement, there is widespread agreement that things have not gone according to plan. Of course, there have been some notable successes (particularly from those who worked with Shingijutsu), yet they are… Beware of Lean HypocrisyIn defense of Frederick Winslow Taylor
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 16:44
Every day, thousands of people confuse lean management with “Taylorism,” properly known as scientific management. The negative association brings out the lean bigwigs and others who work hard to create a great separation between lean and Frederick… Observations on the Lean-Industrial ComplexWhose interests does it really serve?
Tue, 10/20/2015 - 14:36
During the early days, late 1970s to late 1980s, there existed just a few small organizations to help people learn about and implement Toyota’s production system (TPS). They were led by people with decades of hand-on practice at Toyota and its… Observe and Ask ‘Why?’Understanding waste, unevenness, and unreasonableness
Tue, 10/06/2015 - 14:31
There are many ways to improve your thinking skills. One way is by practicing critical thinking. Teachers require their students, from elementary school on through college and graduate school, to do research to gather information, analyze the… Methodological Errors in Lean for Higher EdThere is no lean without <em>kaizen</em>
Tue, 08/25/2015 - 16:11
As both a participant and witness to the practice of lean management in higher education, I’d like to point out methodological errors in relation to how lean is practiced in industry.
People in industry who practice lean management correctly… Toyota’s Supermarket MethodThose who serve buyers' markets should adopt Toyota's management method
Mon, 08/17/2015 - 16:04
In his book, Toyota Production System (Productivity Press, 1988), the original in Japanese was Toyota Production Method (Diamond Inc., 1978), Taiichi Ohno said:
“The tool used to operate the system is kanban, an idea I got from American… Kaizen ForeverDefining the true essence of continuous improvement and respect for people
Mon, 06/15/2015 - 16:55
(The Center for Lean Business Management: Wethersfield, CT) -- My co-authors and I have been working diligently during the last 10 months creating what we hope will be recognized as a very important book, one that defines the true essence of… Political Correctness Comes To LeanFeedback is more than compliments
Mon, 04/20/2015 - 14:16
Regular readers of my column, as well as my Twitter and LinkedIn feeds, will know that in recent months I have posted many critiques on various aspects related to the products, promotion, and practice of lean management. Why now? The reason is that…
