Should This Japanese Hospital React to a Dip in Kaizen Submissions?
Last week, I wrote Part 1 of this piece about TQM and "Small Kaizen" at a Japanese Hospital pharmacy. The hospital was happy that employees were participating in their "Small Kaizen" process, but there...
View ArticleWhy Would You Go Back To Japan? Haven’t You Been There, Done That?
When I got back from Japan a few weeks back, somebody at a hospital client of mine asked me: "Why go back to Japan again? Haven't you been there, done that?" Why go back to Japan? Why not go back? I...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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