Lean Roundup #50 - July, 2013

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of July, 2013.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

The "Art" of Workarounds – Leslie Marshall talks about the dangers of workarounds and asks you to consider two questions when deciding to deviate.

Develop A Shared Language For Improvement – Pascal Dennis shares 7 thoughts that can help align Lean across disparate silos.

We Can Tell You How To Find The Answer – Mike Rother says the use of Kata or Lean behavior pattern can help sustain Lean across decentralized groups.

Growing Deadwood in the Organization – Gregg Stocker talks about employee development and the role of leadership in the organization.

What The Gym Can Teach Us About Lean – Chad Walters explains Lean in the terms of sports and uses some examples from the gym.

Does Lean Really Work? – Karen Martin answers the popular question and explains true Lean implementation and its benefits.

Clarify the Problem – Dragan Bosnjak explains the importance of properly defining the problem you are trying to solve for efficiency.

Easy on People, Hard on Process – Al Norval says we need to create a work environment where problem solving combines these two ideas together.

Betting on Lean or... Analytics Versus Empowerment – Bill Waddell explains that Lean is a management decision to commit to people, instead of to data.

Basketball is a Big Game of Competitive 5S – Chad Walters explains 5S with an interesting look at examples from a basketball game.

Deming and Lean: The Disparities and Similarities – John Hunter discussed the similarities and differences in the approach to the Deming philosophy and Lean philosophy.

The Importance of Seeing Through The Same Lens – Tracey Richardson talks about breaking down silos by aligning to the business vision.

The Importance of Empowerment For a Lean Leader – Kelcy Monday explains that empowerment is an effective tool in Lean leadership and their responsibility.

Lean Leadership: Breaking Down the Silos - Robert Martichenko explains how to break down those walls in businesses that are so detrimental to lasting improvement.

10 Characteristics of Great Coaches & Learners – Ron Pereira provides 10 traits that define great coaches and learners in continuous improvement.

Mobility of Management – John Hunter outlines the dangers of turnover and short term thinking in the management of organizations.

Lean Thinking Spreads Only as Fast as Each Individual Manager Learns to Think Lean – Michael Balle explains Lean implementation grows as the management learns Lean.

Managers Are  Crucial To Problem Solving Success – Matt Wrye says the manager’s mindset, attitude and support around problem solving creates the type of results achieved

Put Your Lemons on the List (aka Got Standards?) – Matthew E. May explains the importance of having standards and how to create good standards.

Was Steve Jobs a Lean Thinker? – Ron Pereira believes both the tools and tenets of continuous improvement can most definitely enable companies to improve and innovate.