Here is a cross posting from the Lean Edge Website. The question from the Lean Global Network was regarding productivity: "Is there a Lean Way to Measure Productivity"?
In theory this issue of measuring productivity is pretty simple but in reality it is usually complex for a variety of reasons…In general however I don’t like the question of “is there a specific lean way to ...
Read More
Line versus Staff Leadership
Over at the Leanedge.org website Joel Stanwood Managing Partner of American Industrial asks the following question about building a Kaizen Promotion Office:
What practical advice would you offer to companies as they establish their Kaizen Promotion Offices? At the beginning their Lean journey each company faces questions such as:
(a) What is the role of the KP...
Read More
Toyota and the Ringi-sho Process
Over on the Leanedge.org website the Lean Global Network submits the following question:
"What is Ringi? The Lean Edge has discussed Nemawashi, but could you clarify the practice of Ringi? How is this linked to A3? How widespread is its use within Toyota? Should that practice be adopted by lean thinkers?"
In all honestly I was not very excited to answer this question. I think...
Read More
Sometimes Lean is a Bad Name…
Over on the Leanedge.org website Joel Stanwood Managing Partner at American Industrial asks the following question:
Most management teams who testify to having implemented Lean will describe financial impact in terms of shop floor efficiency improvement – direct labor productivity, overtime reduction, inventory velocity, floor space utilization, etc. Paradoxically, in terms of...
Read More
Lean Versus Historical TPS
Over on the Lead Edge I answer this months question from CEO Andrew Turner about Lean Implementation in different types of facilities. One is assembly intensive and one is more equipment intensive. My response was as follows:
I think this is a pretty interesting question and reflects the current status of Lean in many companies I visit. I often make the distinction that mode...
Read More
Art Smalley: Nemawashi in Toyota
In this month’s question over on the Lean Edge Catherine Chabiron, Process Improvement (Lean Office) Manager at Faurecia asks the following - "Can we reduce nemawashi to lobbying ? Is nemawashi checking the relevance of a solution and enriching it with key field actors, or simply promoting / enforcing it?"
Here is my response:
Nemawashi (根回し) is one of those Japanese term...
Read More
Houshin Kanri and PDCA Management
In this month's question over on the Lean Edge Klaus Peterson, Solar's Group process manager asks how do we ensure focus on constant momentum on our lean journey?
My response over on the Lean Edge:
This question centers upon how do you maintain focus and momentum on a Lean journey. In a nutshell that is why Toyota developed and utilized its form of Houshin Kanri and PDCA ...
Read More
Toyota’s Functional Organization
In this month's question over on the Lean Edge Klaus Peterson, Solar's Group process manager asks about how to transform a silo based organization into a more horizontal one focusing on business practices.
Here is my response posted over on the Lean Edge.
I don’t have a very snappy answer with five insightful key points for the question posited this month. The question po...
Read More
Standardized Work Confusion
This month's question over over on the Lean Edge comes from Cécile Roche, Thales LEAN Director - Probasis and she asks about Standardized Work and whether it is an individual effort or collective effort.
My response posted over at the Lean Edge:
If I had five dollars for every question I ever had to answer about Standardized Work or Standards inside of Toyota I’d be a ver...
Read More
Performance Organization
This month's question over on the Lean Edge asks why is there such a resistance to creating learning organizations and why are leaders letting the future deteriorate without doing anything about it. I am not sure that I can answer the question with any relevant facts to be honest. In order to answer this question properly I think the proper thing to do in TPS spirit is to "get ...
Read More