A Kaizen Board in Japan, and a Manager Who Answered Every Sheet
The kaizen board held a couple dozen sheets. Each one numbered, each one stamped “jisshi-zumi” — already done. A board full of carried-out improvements is a strong sign in any factory, in any country....
View ArticleDo Not Remove: What a Kaizen Binder Taught Me in Japan
On a factory table in Japan, in December 2019, there was a binder. White cover, the word KAIZEN in big orange letters, a photo of cherry blossoms underneath. Inside the front cover, someone had printed...
View ArticleInside NUMMI: Isao Yoshino on Toyota’s Cultural Transformation in America
A former Toyota leader shares firsthand insights on the mindset shifts, leadership behaviors, and management systems that transformed NUMMI from a failed GM plant into a global Toyota culture case...
View ArticleStill Dreaming About Sukiyabashi Jiro: Sushi, Speed, and the Meaning of Quality
tl;dr: A visit to Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo offers a vivid Lean lesson: extraordinary quality and efficiency, but at a pace that raises questions about flow, pull, and the customer experience. Before...
View ArticleForget the Template: Why Lean Success Depends on Scientific Thinking and Action
Lean succeeds when people focus on scientific thinking and action, not perfect templates. A3s, hoshin kanri, and other tools only work when they support real learning, experimentation, and...
View ArticleEven in Japan: A Target of Zero and a Process That Lives Near Seven Percent
The target printed on the chart was zero percent. The red line had never been near zero. Not in the nine months posted on the wall, and probably not in any month before them. It sat between 6.43% and...
View ArticleLean Healthcare Study Tour in Japan: September 2026
There are things about Lean you cannot learn from a book, a conference, or a consultant. I say that as someone who writes the books and gives the talks. You learn them by standing in a place where the...
View ArticleWhat Visiting Japan Taught Me About Lean Leadership and Healthcare Culture
This October, I'll be returning to Japan for another Lean healthcare study trip–my seventh time overall and my fifth healthcare-focused visit. With each visit, I find new layers of learning. While my...
View ArticleKaiteki: The Japanese Philosophy Behind Motivated Employees and Lean Success
tl;dr: Kaiteki is a Japanese management philosophy focused on comfort, purpose, and respect for people–and it helps explain why motivated employees and Lean success go hand in hand. During my most...
View ArticleAre Japanese Hospitals More Lean? What Global Healthcare Leaders Can Learn...
TL;DR: While some Japanese hospitals excel at Lean, many face the same cultural and systemic barriers seen elsewhere. Visiting Japan isn't about finding a Lean utopia–it's about sharpening your...
View ArticleLean Isn’t About Cutting Heads–It’s About Growing People and Cultures of...
One of the most important, and most misunderstood, principles in Lean thinking is this: Lean is not a cost-cutting strategy. Lean is a people-development strategy. If your organization is using Lean as...
View ArticleLean in Japan Works–But Not Because They’re Japanese
Why Lean Thinking Succeeds in Japan–Not Because of Culture, But Because of Intentional Leadership and Systems One of the most persistent myths I've encountered over the years goes something like this:...
View ArticleInside the Lean Healthcare Accelerator: Lessons from Japan with Dave Fitzpatrick
Learning Lean from Japan isn't about copying tools or culture–it's about seeing what's possible when organizations commit to respect for people, continuous improvement, and long-term thinking. In this...
View ArticleInside NUMMI: Isao Yoshino on Toyota’s Cultural Transformation in America
A former Toyota leader shares firsthand insights on the mindset shifts, leadership behaviors, and management systems that transformed NUMMI from a failed GM plant into a global Toyota culture case...
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The Path to Patient Safety in Japan (or Elsewhere): Reporting Problems,...
As I blogged about this morning, don't forget that you can get a FREE Kindle copy of Practicing Lean today (January 21, 2020). As I blogged about yesterday, my theme this week is “psychological...
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Why are Factories in Value Stream Maps Drawn That Way? What’s That Shape?
Typically, the customer (or supplier) icon in classic Lean “Value Stream Mapping” looks like a factory. Well, it looks like what might appear to be a strangely-shaped building — or it might seem like...
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Making People and Making Things – in Japan or Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
Monday was my first day for my fifth Lean study trip to Japan. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to once again visit a Toyota plant, the Tsutsumi Plant. Here are two blog posts from 2015, as the plant...
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Inside Toyota’s Takaoka #2 Line – Flexibility and Kaizen
This is an interesting article: Inside Toyota's Takaoka #2 Line: The Most Flexible Line In The World I had a chance to visit the ‘Takaoka #1″ line in February 2018 as part of my tour with Kaizen...
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Toyota as a “People Development Company”
When I had the chance to go back to Japan last October with Honsha, there was a big focus on what the former Toyota people kept referring to as “a development company.” The meaning was that Toyota...
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My Embarrassing Sushi Mistake in Japan; Standardized Work, Leadership, and...
I had a great time and learned so much as a guest of Honsha and their Executive Development Mission trip to Japan in October. The formal site visits to factories and companies were great, but a lot of...
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