Lean Blog Audio

the blog postWhat does Lean healthcare really mean? It’s more than tools like 5S, A3s, or huddle boards. Lean is a management system that depends on two pillars: respect for people and continuous improvement. Without both, attempts to copy Lean practices in healthcare fail.In this episode, Mark Graban—author of Lean Hospitals, Healthcare Kaizen, and The Mistakes That Make Us—explores how the Toyota Way philosophy applies to hospitals and health systems. He shares lessons from Toyota, Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, and other organizations proving that Lean leadership in healthcare is not about cost-cutting—it’s about creating a culture of improvement.What You’ll Learn About Lean Healthcare:Why Lean is a system, not a toolbox of methodsHow respect for people means designing systems that prevent mistakes, not blaming staffHow Kaizen in healthcare develops people while improving quality and safetyWhy suggestion boxes fail and daily improvement succeedsThe four goals of Kaizen: Easier, Better, Faster, Cheaper