Lean Blog Audio

http://www.leanblog.org/audio282 Hat tip to Stan Feingold from StoreSMART (a Lean Blog sponsor) for sending me this article: Bob Lutz Talks Panel Gaps, Tesla, and Why Every Detail Matters -- Getting it right starts at the top.

http://www.leanblog.org/audio281 When we have really sticky, complicated problems (like the widespread healthcare patient safety and quality problems), I think it's interesting to think about problems in the following terms... for a particular problem, which is true? It can't be solved (in general) That organization can't solve it (don't know how?) They won't solve it They don't need to solve it When we look at patient safety, there are many examples that show improvement is possible. So, it comes down to a question of "can't, won't, or don't need to?"

http://leanblog.org/audio280 I guess I'm wired for improvement. Or, it's just become a habit. Or, it's both. I celebrate moments when I can identify an opportunity for improvement in my work. I tend to be pretty transparent about problems and even mistakes (like forgetting my socks).  The Toyota-ism of "No problems is a problem" resonates with me. Identifying a problem shouldn't bring blame and shame... it's the first step in improving the way work is done. I'm fortunate that we've built a culture at KaiNexus where problems and opportunities are celebrated. It's safe for people to speak up and problems lead to improvement, not punishment. Our book Healthcare Kaizen shares stories and examples from organizations that have built a strong and sustained culture of continuous improvement. I almost take it for granted that improvement is a positive thing.

http://www.leanblog,org/audio279 Registration is open for "Kaizen Live!" -- the 2019 edition. Joe Swartz and I are excited to announce that we are hosting the fourth site visit to his organization, Franciscan St. Francis Health, in Indianapolis. It's being held October 3 and 4, with an optional workshop on October 2nd.  Click here to learn more. You'll find links to the registration page and be sure to check out the early registration and group rate discounts that are available.

This is an interesting article: Inside Toyota's Takaoka #2 Line: The Most Flexible Line In The World I had a chance to visit the 'Takaoka #1" line in February 2018 as part of my tour with Kaizen Institute. This article makes me wish we had been able to see Takaoka #2, but that sounds like a somewhat rare and special opportunity (even more special than visiting Toyota is normally).

From 2013 -- http://www.leanblog.org/audio277 A principle that has been often discussed (and hopefully practiced) in the Lean community over the past few years is usually described as “respect for people.” A certain British rabble rouser recently said the following at a Lean conference: “All this respect for people stuff is horse sh*t,” and it is a “conventional Western management interpretation.” He mocked the idea of “respect for people programs,” although I'm not sure where such a standalone program has ever been attempted. That sounds like a strawman, the idea that a company would have a “respect for people” program. Let me explain why he's wrong — “respect for people” is not horse sh*t” — and we can explore some great links on “respect for people” in this post.

https://leanblog.org/audio276 "Over the past year, I've heard about the “OKRs” methodology that is used in tech companies like Google. OKRs stands for Objectives & Key Results.  The approach (along with examples and case studies) are laid out in the book by venture capitalist John Doerr, Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs."  There are things I like about this model... and it reminds me of the Lean "Strategy deployment" practice... but I think it would be better with "Process Behavior Charts." #okrs #OKR #leanstartup #leanmanagement #business 

I always enjoy the KaiNexus User Conference (now called KaiNexicon starting this year) and they ask me to give a talk each year. Last year, I gave a talk called “When Being Right is the Wrong Strategy for Change” and KaiNexus recently shared a nicely-shot video of that talk on YouTube. So. I'm sharing that here... and the blog post has a transcript I had done, annotated with some slides and links. You can also read a shorter summary via the KaiNexus blog. http://www.leanblog.org/audio275

http://www.leanblog.org/audio274 I find it really interesting when scientific facts and truth get superseded by new evidence. Science isn't supposed to be stubborn… it's OK to cast aside the old status quo when we learn something new (pay attention, “flat Earth” crowd). There are a lot of these themes, also, in a book I've been reading, The Case Against Sugar, by Gary Taubes. Some of the established science about low-fat diets being good for us might not really be true. How does this all apply in medicine and our practice of Lean?

I haven't read it, but Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has been a pop-culture phenomenon the past few years. I've seen some compare her process to the Lean practice of “5S.” Kondo says you should only keep an item if it “sparks joy.”