Half-Full or Half-Empty?When optimism is seen as complacency
Tue, 11/12/2013 - 16:16
I’ve always felt the need to accentuate the positive, something I think I picked up from my mother. In tense situations she would always interject, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?” This usually generated laughter and reduced tensions. Although this… Innovation CentennialAre you building employees as well as products?
Tue, 10/15/2013 - 10:34
Last week marked the 100th anniversary of the introduction of a moving assembly line at Henry Ford’s Highland assembly plant, an innovation that inaugurated mass production.
Ford was not the first to build cars in an assembly line. Ransom Olds did… Rowers, Passengers, and Swimmers: RevisitedMake sure everyone is pulling in the same direction
Thu, 09/19/2013 - 14:40
Many managers ask me, “How can I accelerate my company’s lean transformation?” My answer is twofold: First get the direction right, and then get everyone rowing in that direction.
One of my columns on this topic from about three years ago (worth… Cracked‘Unavoidable’ is not an option when determining specific acceptance quality levels
Mon, 09/09/2013 - 16:26
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Egg-Grading Manual, “Checks [aka “cracks’”] are an unavoidable problem in the marketing of eggs because eggs cannot be assembled, graded, packed, transported, and merchandized without some breakage… Is Lean the Dark Side of TPS?Many so-called lean transformations are bodies without souls
Mon, 08/12/2013 - 09:56
I opened a fortune cookie yesterday, which read “Understanding little is better than misunderstanding a lot.” Seems to me that we lean wannabes misunderstand a lot—maybe not everyone, but I regretfully include myself in that group.
There is so… Seeing the InvisibleThoughtful preventive maintenance can keep reliable equipment running forever
Tue, 07/30/2013 - 16:49
For me, summertime is synonymous with a trip to the amusement park. I took my twins to Wonderland Park when they were just 4 years old, a déjà vu experience that transported me be back 50 years.
As my kids climbed onto the fire engine ride, I… Standardized DefectsDo communication breakdowns drive you insane?
Wed, 07/24/2013 - 13:37
Too often when corrective action is taken, the communication loop is not closed, turning containment into a frustrating, permanent practice.
Here are a few examples:• A production employee demonstrated for me how he searched for burrs on a…
SandbaggersCreative stretching of truth... isn’t that counterintuitive to lean?
Wed, 07/03/2013 - 14:35
Padding factory performance has become a best practice at one company I visited recently. As I walked the floor with the site manager, I was impressed by the level of improvement activity I saw.
“We’ve been at this for about eight years,” said the… Culture SchmultureBeware of labels that let you off the hook
Fri, 06/21/2013 - 16:32
Some time ago, while giving a presentation titled “Organizational Obstacles to Lean,” I displayed a slide captioned “It’s not about culture.” My point was that “culture” is a bad analogy because it places the burden for change on the shoulders of… Good Witch or Bad Witch?Watch for these traits (and your little dog, too)
Mon, 06/17/2013 - 12:05
A recent comment from a business friend, call him Tom, who manages a small factory, reminded me of a scene from The Wizard of Oz. “Our president is an accountant by training,” Tom said. “But she’s a good accountant.”
“So, what is a good accountant…
