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

Continuous Improvement and the Need to Improve LESS - Lean Insights from Chad Bareither

Dec 13, 2023

Chad Bareither, a change agent in the corporate world, discusses his new book 'Improve LESS' and the 'Focus and Align Framework'. Topics include Lean in the military, collaborative relationships in a lean supply chain, and the importance of focus and alignment in organizations.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 3min

The Journey of Continuous Improvement

02:52 • 11min

The Benefits of Lean in the Military and the Question of Genuine Commitment

13:44 • 2min

Collaborative Relationships in a Lean Supply Chain

15:57 • 21min

The Importance of Focus and Alignment

37:17 • 11min

Congratulations on the Book and Positive Reviews

48:46 • 2min

Reflections on Chad Berreithor's Book 'Improve Less, The Focus on Align Framework for Sustainable Continuous Improvement'

50:20 • 2min

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

My guest for Episode #494 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Chad Bareither, the founder and principal consultant of Bareither Group Consulting. He brings a wealth of experience as a change agent in the corporate world, having worked with organizations that include several Fortune 500 companies.

He's now the author of a new book, Improve LESS: The Focus and Align Framework for Sustainable Continuous Improvement.

Chad holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and has further honed his expertise with Master's degrees in both Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Applied Statistics from Rutgers University.

In this episode, we discuss his experience in various industries where, of course, Lean is not about building cars. We also discuss his book, the "Focus and Align Framework," and why trying to improve less can lead to greater results.

Questions, Notes, and Highlights:

What's your Lean origin story?
Civilian role with the U.S. Army – working with the manufacturers / suppliers vs. internal Army processes?
Can't copy and paste? “We don't build cars”??
Becoming a consultant? Being an outsider vs. insider – what have you learned about that?
The story behind the book — why this book?
Tell us about the common problem statement and the current state — trying to do too many things, being too busy?
The “focus and align” framework?

The podcast is brought to you by Stiles Associates, the premier executive search firm specializing in the placement of Lean Transformation executives. With a track record of success spanning over 30 years, it’s been the trusted partner for the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare sectors. Learn more.

This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system.

This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.