When in Crisis, Manufacturers Can Look to <em>Kata</em>
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There is more to lean manufacturing than improving a few processes. Sustainable lean success requires a companywide culture of daily continuous improvement.
How to Listen and Ask Questions for Effective Teamwork
During the course of helping organizations and teams develop more effective ways of working, I have found that many of the obstacles to delivering value quickly to customers originate from mental models and assumptions that have been internalized.
The Good and Bad of Measuring Worker Output in Real Time
In the summer of 2014, Aruna Ranganathan was doing postdoctoral research at a garment factory in Bangalore, India, when she noticed that some worker stations—but not all—were equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, a tool used to quantify work
Creating a Culture of Security
October happens to be (among other things) Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dental Hygiene Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, and my personal favorite, National Pizza Month. Plus, it’s Halloween! But I digress. We’re here to talk about cybersecurity.
How to Do a Quality Strategic Pivot to Address Covid
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"Wizard Chess" Credit: Katie Wheeler
‘It’s not going away, and we have to face that reality.” That’s what the CEO and founder of a quality-centered high-tech manufacturing startup with 180 employees told the leadership team in early July 2020 to convince them of the need to do a strategic pivot to addre
Snapshots of Real-Life Metrology Solutions
Metrology may sound like an esoteric dark art, but it isn’t. If you’re involved in manufacturing of any stripe, you’re almost certainly a metrology practitioner.
Data’s Power to Drive Better Plant Performance
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Data can transform manufacturing. It’s also a term that continues to prompt discussions within the industry.
Us and Them
Over years of listening to people describe their work, one single word has surfaced repeatedly as a barometer of what is frequently called “culture.” The use of the word “they” in conversation gives me insight into an organization’s ability to engage employees and su
The Toyota House
Today I’m looking at the “house” of the Toyota Production System (TPS). The illustration below shows the two pillars of the TPS house, jidoka and just in time (JIT).
Socially Responsible Business Behavior: Correct Isn’t Always Right
One of the favorite aspects of my career in the insurance industry is delivering a positive outcome to someone in the midst of a personally challenging situation.