Lean Roundup #162 – November 2022

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of November 2022.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

Going To The Electronic Gemba – John Knotts talks about how to go to the “electronic Gemba!”  with 1) A Wall Walk, and 2) A Functional Analysis.

 

The Good Karma of Lean – Kevin Meyer discusses an interesting alignment with key aspects of lean and continuous improvement – as well as karma, stoicism, and zen.

 

Beware Prizes, Belts & Self-appointed Experts – Pascal Dennis says professional degrees or certificates are nothing more than a kick-start, a proxy for the hard work of building a management system & getting results.

 

How to Reduce Product Variants – Christoph Roser gives some general suggestions on how to reduce your number of product variants.

 

Keynote: How To Be A Lean Leader Who Inspires and Influences People In Their Continuous Improvement Journey – Katie Anderson shares her keynote presentation from QP Summit 2022 on lean leadership challenges.

 

Automation and People - Michel Baudin summarized observations on automation and people from the Van of Nerds tour of 11 manufacturing sites in Northern France

 

At Toyota: Mistakes are OK, as Long as We Learn; Culture and Psychological Safety – Mark Graban talks about Toyota’s culture of trust and safety when it comes from learning from our mistakes.

 

Why Few People Truly Take the Lean Leap - Michael Ballé says the reason why lean is only truly taken up by few has to do with embracing changes in our hearts and minds.

 

Lean Eyes Don’t Lie - Darren Walsh shares tips on how to gauge whether improvement efforts are paying off and people are internalizing a lean way of thinking.

 

Who, or What, Is Your Company Investing In? – Josh Howell asks if technology works for your people or the other way around?

 

Building A Diverse and Capable Workforce from the Bottom Up - Adrienne C. Trimble and Mark Reich say combining lean thinking and practices with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives builds more inclusive, engaged, and resilient businesses.

 

How Can Business Transformation Reduce Costs? - Adam Darnell says that implementing a digital business management system to structure and measure business process improvements can result in significant cost savings and a more strategic use of resources.

 

How to Align Continuous Improvement with Strategic Goals - Megan Cox says when improvement work is aligned with strategic goals and objectives, the organization moves in lock-step, increasing the probability of long-term success.

 

The Indispensable Role of Middle Management in Lean - Maggie Millard discusses the role of middle managers, evolving them from "enforcers" to enablers and coaches of front-line workers and supervisors.