Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership

Jim Benson on The Collaboration Equation, His New Book

Nov 16, 2022

In this discussion, Jim Benson, CEO of Modus Cooperandi and a pioneer in Lean methodologies, explores key ideas from his book, 'The Collaboration Equation.' He defines collaboration through an intriguing lens, drawing parallels between punk rock culture and successful startups. The conversation covers managing complexity in healthcare, transforming team tensions into cooperative problem-solving, and the critical role of psychological safety. Jim emphasizes that leadership must create a culture of respect to foster high-performing teams.

01:05:08

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Episode guests

Jim Benson

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Quick takeaways

Collaboration is essential in fostering a flexible learning environment, emphasizing the need for systematic structures to support teamwork.

The parallel drawn between punk rock band culture and effective teams underscores the importance of adaptability and continuous improvement across various fields.

Establishing psychological safety within teams allows for open communication and trust, empowering individuals to contribute to shared goals without fear.

Deep dives

Understanding Collaboration and Culture

Collaboration is defined not merely as a buzzword but as a crucial element that fosters a flexible and predictable learning environment within teams. A rich culture underpins continuous improvement and respect for individuals, which are essential in creating effective collaboration. The book emphasizes that successful teams establish structures that facilitate collaboration systematically rather than merely hoping for it to occur organically. This understanding shifts the focus toward proactively building a collaborative environment that enhances both productivity and morale among team members.

Balance is Key: Cultivating a Culture of Professionalism

01:05

Outsider Perspective Unlocks Solutions

01:19

Leadership is Not Exclusive

00:50

Intro

2min

Understanding Opposites in Debate and Productivity

1min

The Synergy of Collaboration

7min

Navigating Complexity in Healthcare Workflows

2min

Transforming Tension into Teamwork

23min

Fostering Psychological Safety in the Workplace

8min

The Power of Team Dynamics

21min

Episode page with transcript, video, and more

My guest for Episode #463 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jim Benson, the CEO of Modus Cooperandi, and co-founder of Modus Institute.

He was previously a guest on Episodes 155 and 401. He was also a guest on Lean Whiskey #25 with me and Jamie Flinchbaugh (and #31), and was guest #4 on My Favorite Mistake.

A pioneer in applying Lean and Kanban to knowledge

work, Jim is the creator of Personal Kanban and is co-author of Personal Kanban: Mapping Work, Navigating Life, winner of the Shingo Research and Publication Award. His other books include Why Plans Fail, Why Limit WIP, and Beyond Agile.

His latest book is The Collaboration Equation: Strong Professionals, Strong Teams, Strong Delivery.

Today, we discuss topics and questions including:

How do you define collaboration?
As an angry punk rocker? Parallels to startup software companies??
The balance between “every building/patient is unique “vs. having knowledge/structure/process??
Standard work for encountering complexity
When a major problem gets solved and nobody ends up in tears – From lawsuits, yelling, and strife — to collaborative problem solving? How?
Culture as it exists… culture as we are creating…??
Team deciding the culture vs. the CEO or leader having a vision of what the culture should be?
What the CEO says vs. what is the reality?
Value Stream Mapping as a “ruse”… a way to uncover team breakdown problems
Flapping our mouths vs. information about what's really happening??
Get comfortable with change happening every day
Be hard on the process, not the people? But the system is made of people…
The FEELING of being respected
Fear as a cause of problems — “Every real collaboration has psychological safety”
What have you learned about PS, how to gauge it, and how to create it?
“You can't go buy a box of psychological safety”
An NBA superteam… how would YOU lead them?
Getting over your damn self
The power of team members who are more likely to talk about others than themselves
“Do you feel heard…” — or are you actually heard?
What readers would get the most out of this book?

The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.

This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.

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