Lean Blog Audio

In this post, I write about a phrase that I heard many times when visiting Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indianapolis. How can this phrase help us challenge ourselves and to find positive solutions instead of barriers and obstacles? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Does the Phrase "Lean Transformation" Jump to a Solution? Another in the series of "do words matter?" posts... do phrases like "Lean Transformation" resonate as much as "Business Transformation?" --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Imitation as a Path to Innovation... If You Know What to Copy... At the recent Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit, there were thought provoking presentations... and we had many discussions about the role of incremental improvement vs. redesign or transformation. And, lots of discussions about imitating vs. innovating... so I explore those themes in this post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

If we're going to practice Kaizen (continuous improvement), do the words matter? Should we call it a Kaizen Card or something else? Do we start with a "problem" or something else? Are we writing down "ideas" or "countermeasures?" Does it matter? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

What if "easier" is less safe? Great question. It begs the question of why Safer isn't first in Shingo's list? Is it because safety is assumed to be such a fundamental pre-condition in the Toyota culture or the Lean approach? Safety is such a non-negotiable point that it doesn't need to be said? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Does your healthcare organization struggle with keeping hand sanitizer dispensers full? Let me know what you think of this "two-bin kanban" system prototype from a vendor that might more forward on this... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Thanks to Lean Frontiers for sharing a story from Mike Hoseus on LinkedIn. Mike is, of course, co-author of the excellent book Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way (written with Jeff Liker, who I just learned is retiring from the University of Michigan... more on that soon). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Here are three audience questions we didn't have time to address after a recent talk that I gave... questions about engaging people in improvement and about how to share and spread improvement ideas broadly. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Today's reader question comes from somebody who has been put in the position of what I call "the lone wolf" in a health system. This happens a lot. A health system hires or designates one person to be "the Lean change agent." It doesn't matter how amazing and/or experienced this individual is... I'd very skeptical about the organization's Lean journey. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

What are the parallels between the mindsets and approach of a world-class university band director and our mindsets in Lean, Kaizen, and continuous improvement, in healthcare or beyond? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

It's good that United's CEO has taken responsibility for system problems. It's great that they are changing some policies. But why does he say they don't have a culture problem if employees aren't empowered? That sounds like "culture" and a "problem" to me. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

I'm excited to announce that Practicing Lean is now available as an audio book... or least the first half is, but you can buy today. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

The mistakes at The Oscars were trivial and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. What are some lessons learned that apply to improving healthcare supply chains? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

If you don't have 20 minutes for meditation, you should.... do what? Does this classic Zen quote apply to Kaizen and continuous improvement? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

A Lean-thinking physician from Canada asks how many people an organization or department should have in a dedicated Lean or continuous improvement function. How much time is needed from staff and managers? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

When did the term "concrete head" start getting thrown around in Lean circles? Do people still use this label today? Is it helpful? Should we agree that the term is disrespectful and counter productive? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Last week, I received a few questions from somebody at a hospital system and I thought I'd address one of them here: "Can you suggest any "quick wins" to get staff engaged in a Lean culture?" --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

I posted this on LinkedIn earlier today and am re-posting as a blog post to get your thoughts... and then, as I writing this, the news about the man being forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight went viral. Full title: "The United Flight 3411 Mess, Holding Individuals Accountable vs. Fixing the System [Updates]" --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

As part of my partnership with Cardinal Health, they have published an article that I wrote on their "Essential Insights" blog: "Changing how we think about change: How healthcare leaders can create a progressive culture" --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support

Can physician-led surgical centers provide lower out-of-pocket prices for patients, along with lower infection rates, and higher compensation for the surgeons? One surgical center in Oklahoma says so... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lean-blog-audio/support