• Hierarchy is Killing Your Business

    Hierarchy is Killing Your Business0

    Most organizations still have a hierarchical, command-and-control organizational structure, sometimes called “smoke stacks” or “silos.”  A hierarchical organization has more defined roles, procedures, and lines of communication. Typically, there is a chain of command which needs to be followed. The functional specialists in charge of each smoke stack tend to focus on optimizing their own

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  • “Everybody Get Lean” – Learn From Mistakes and Miss-Steps!

    “Everybody Get Lean” – Learn From Mistakes and Miss-Steps!0

    Riley Sweeney, from Uttana,a Lean training video company sent me a video of great comedic webseries “Everybody Get Lean.” The series is a work place comedy about lean programs and everything that can go wrong when people go overboard. They shot a total of four episodes, though only the first one has been released. If

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  • 10 Signs of a Non-Lean Manager Who Disengages the Workforce

    10 Signs of a Non-Lean Manager Who Disengages the Workforce0

    Companies with poor management practices typically have employees who are disengaged. While a disengaged workforce is a symptom of substandard leadership, just what constitutes bad management? Here are a few problematic practices and signs I believe should be axed: 1. Bad Communication Few things cause employees to tune out faster than a management team that

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  • 10 Signs of a L.A.M.E. Company, Not a Lean Company

    10 Signs of a L.A.M.E. Company, Not a Lean Company0

    Unfortunately, there are many examples of Lean mistakenly implemented. A few years ago Mark Graban, blogger at Lean Blog, coined the term “L.A.M.E.” — Lean As Misguidedly Executed. L.A.M.E. includes those things that people call “Lean” but really aren’t a good representation of true Lean mindsets and practices. In order to fully understand Lean and

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  • Lean Blamed for Perils at John Deere

    Lean Blamed for Perils at John Deere0

    An article at Bloomberg Businessweek entitled low inventory angers John Deere customer caught my eye this week.  The article’s author writes of the perils of running lean, claiming that lean is the cause of John Deere’s customer service problem.  This strikes me as another unfortunate example of L.A.M.E. not Lean. Mark Graban coined the term

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