Lean Roundup #66 – November, 2014

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of November, 2014.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

The Human Case For Lean – Bob Emiliani says the human case for Lean is more compelling than any business case for Lean.

The Importance of Leadership by Those Working to Improve Management – John Hunter explains the importance of those who want to improve management should put more focus on understanding business.

A weak culture is a culture of laziness – Bill Waddell says companies with a strong, lean culture work harder than those that don’t.

GOAL VS “TARGET CONDITION” – Mark Rosenthal explains this difference between a target condition and a goal with the story of space exploration.

Lean is not a program – Paul Levy shares thoughts on why Lean can not be thought of as another program.

Role of Ethnography and Qualitative Research in Problem Solving – Pete Abilla explains why qualitative research (observation) is important with solving problems.

5 Steps To Building A Safety Culture In Your Manufacturing Plant - Christina Chatfield shares five steps you can take to integrate safety as a core company value.

Employee Engagement Driven by a Philosophy of Continuous Improvement  - Robert Hafey says if you want to engage employees then focus on continuous improvement.

“Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail” - Al Norval says failing to develop a plan and share it with the team just ends in failure.

What are the Key Competencies to needed for a KPO position within an Organization? – Tracey Richardson  explains the key skills and competencies needed to lead Lean.

If we’re going to fight fires, do it like the pros – Jamie Flinchbaugh says if we’re going to fire fight then when should do it well and shares 3 ways to do it.

Agility vs. Speed – Moving Beyond the Basics of Process Improvement – Tom Stoffel shares 2 key ways to be more agile and that has to do with problem solving.

Guest Post: Standardized Work is for Leaders, Not Just Assembly Lines – David Meier discusses leader standard work and how to implement it in your business.

“Quality Circles” Are Alive & Well in Japanese Organizations; We Might Call it A3 Problem Solving – Mark Graban discusses his observation of the use of quality circles in Japan.

The Art of Short Term Management – Bill Waddell discusses the dangers of short term management thinking.

Want Your Organization to Survive Over the Long Haul? Value Process Over Results – Doc Hall says we must focus on the process of improvement not individual KPIs.

The Five Poisons of Big Company Disease - Michael Ballé explains the 5 poisons of big company disease and how Lean thinking can avoid them.

GTS6 + E3 = DNA (Break the Code for Standardization, Sustainability, and Kaizen) – Tracey Richardson shares an equation for lean leadership in your organization  for a sustainable culture of problem solving.

Visual control as a technique and visual management as a system are essential to lean practice - Michael Ballé explains the importance of visual control and visual management to Lean.

A checklist of key competences to have the right people in the right place at the right time – Tracey Richardson shares a list of key competences for Lean Leaders.

Strong coaches are there to develop internal leaders and coaches – Jeff Liker says Toyota doesn’t hire outside experts they grow their own.