Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond

Episode #58 of the LeanBlog Podcast brings us Steven J. Spear as our guest. Spear is a Senior Researcher at MIT, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and is the author of the new book Chasing the Rabbit: How Market Leaders Outdistance the Competition and How Great Companies Can Catch Up and Win. Today, we talk about he started studying Toyota and his new book, which include...

Episode Page Episode #59 of the LeanBlog Podcast is here and our guest is  Robert Miller , Executive Director of the  Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence . We are discussing the Prize, some of the recent changes made in its criteria, and some future directions for the Prize named after  Dr. Shigeo Shingo , of Toyota Production System fame. For earlier episodes, visit the  main Podcast page , w...

Once again, our guest for Episode #62 is John S. Toussaint, MD, the CEO emeritus of ThedaCare, and CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. Dr. Toussaint is very well known for his leadership of the Lean efforts in the ThedaCare system, done under the heading of the ThedaCare Improvement System. ThedaCare has been profiled in the WSJ and many other articles about the quality and cost impr...

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/61 Remastered audio June 2021 Norman Bodek  is once again back for episode #61 of the LeanBlog Podcast, talking about his discovery of a unique system in Japan, at Canon, called the “ Super Meister ” system that trains employees to be able to build an entire copier on their own. This was introduced in  Episode #55  of the Podcast. Norman also talks a little mor...

Podcast Episode #60 is the second part of a two-parter with retired Lt. Randy Russell of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, an innovator in the use of Lean methods for improving law enforcement (Part 1, Episode #51 is here). In this episode, Randy discusses some really interesting examples of how Lean methods are helpful in law enforcement and how 5S or standardized work can help save a life. Very...

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/55 Audio remastered June 2021 Norman Bodek is once again back for episode #55 of the LeanBlog Podcast, talking about his recent trip to Ireland. If you're a fan of Norman, his books and his podcasts, be sure to check out the  special charity auction  that's running on www.leanblog.org through December 19. You can get a specially autographed CD set of Norman's p...

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/54   Remastered August 2021 Our guest for Episode #54 is  John S. Toussaint, MD , the CEO emeritus of  ThedaCare , and CEO of the  ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value . Dr. Toussaint is very well known for his leadership of the Lean efforts in the ThedaCare system, done under the heading of the  ThedaCare Improvement System . ThedaCare has been profiled in th...

LeanBlog Podcast Episode #53 is a conversation with Patrick M. Anderson, the Executive Director of Chugachmiut, the Tribal consortium created to promote self-determination to the seven Native communities of the Chugach Region. I met Patrick at a Lean conference where he shared their experiences with applying Lean principles to healthcare delivery in Alaska. I am happy to bring their story to you,...

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/52 Remastered July 2021   Podcast Episode #52 is a discussion with a good friend (and sometimes contributor) to the Lean Blog,  Dan Markovitz , founder and President of  Markovitz Consulting . Markovitz Consulting is a corporate efficiency-training firm specializing in the application of Lean manufacturing principles to business processes. The company's WorkLea...

Podcast Episode #51 is the first part of a two-parter with retired Lt. Randy Russell of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, an innovator in the use of Lean methods for improving law enforcement. Starting in 2004, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office began using Lean as a continuous improvement program. In the podcast, Randy describes their journey and the improvements that have greatly contributed to...

https://leanblog.org/50   To celebrate the 50th LeanBlog Podcast, the tables are turned. Guest host  Jamie Flinchbaugh  chats with me, Mark Graban, about the history of my  blog , my  podcasts , and how this led into my new book,  Lean Hospitals . This was Jamie's idea (thanks). I normally try not to be the center of attention on the podcasts, letting my guests do most of the talking (so I can lea...

Episode #49 is another conversation with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth, who you might remember from Episode #26 last year and Episode #45, which was the first part of this conversation. In this episode, we talk about "Visual Displays," a topic from her Shingo Prize-winning book Visual Workplace, Visual Thinking: Creating Enterprise Excellence Through the Technologies of the Visual Workplace. Gwendolyn e...

Episode Page A returning guest (episodes  #30  and  #38 ),  Bob Emiliani  is again featured in episode #48 of the LeanBlog Podcast.  He has, since 1995, focused his efforts on what he describes as de-mystifying the “black art” of Lean leadership. In this episode, we talk about his “ Real Lean ” series of books. A returning guest (episodes  #30  and  #38 ),  Bob Emiliani  is again featured in episo...

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/47 Remastered audio June 2021 Norman Bodek is once again back for episode #47 of the LeanBlog Podcast, talking about his most recent trip to Japan (his 68th trip!). He poses the question, "What can we do to leapfrog Toyota?" Norman asks important questions about how we can help people, in any role, enjoy their work, rather than dreading Mondays. Why does Norman...

Episode #46 is a chat with a good friend of the Lean Blog, Dean Bliss, a Lean Improvement Specialist with the Iowa Health System. Like myself, Dean made a transition in from manufacturing into health care a few years back, he'll share some of his experiences and recommendations for how to use Lean in a hospital and how to make that transition. He will also share some stories about how his hospital...

Episode #45 is another conversation with  Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth , who you might remember from  Episode #26  last year. In this episode, we talk about “Visual Displays,” a topic from her Shingo Award-winning book  Visual Workplace, Visual Thinking: Creating Enterprise Excellence Through the Technologies of the Visual Workplace . Gwendolyn established Quality Methods International (QMI) in 1991 as...

Episode #44 of the LeanBlog Podcast is a conversation with Ralph Keller, the President of AME, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. Today, we're discussing AME and their upcoming regional conference in San Diego, to be held June 9 to 11, 2008. If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a vo...

Episode #43 of LeanBlog Podcast is a very special one. My guest is Mike Mickleright, writer, consultant, and performer -- most interesting to me is his impersonation of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. As I wrote about before, I've seen his DVD and Mike agreed to create this podcast with me. We start off talking with Mike about his background with Dr. Deming and how he created the impersonation. Then, we sh...

Mistake-proofing expert Martin Hinckley, president of Assured Quality and author of "Make No Mistake: An Outcome-Based Approach to Mistake-Proofing," joins Mark to discuss why rare mistakes require a fundamentally different approach than statistical variation -- and why traditional inspection can never fully control them. Episode page with links and more http://leanblog.org/42   They cover the dif...

Episode page Here is LeanBlog Podcast #41 with  Dr. Jeffrey Liker , Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Liker is most recently the co-author (with  Michael Hoseus ) of  Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way  and many other books, which can be found  here on Amazon.com . This is part 3 of our recent series. Today, we talk about the de...

Episode page: leanblog.org/40 Here is LeanBlog Podcast #40, an interview with a retired UAW/GM employee who wishes to remain anonymous, at this point. We have traded many emails over the past year, about Lean, and I'm impressed with this individual's true passion for Lean and Toyota Production System concepts. We both agree that the “root cause” of many Lean struggles comes back to management's in...

Episode page Here is LeanBlog Podcast #39, once again featuring  Dr. Jeffrey Liker , Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Liker is most recently the co-author (with Michael Hoseus) of  Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way  and many other books, which can be found  here on amazon.com . This is part 2 of what will be a 3-part podcast s...

Episode page Here is LeanBlog Podcast #38, our guest today is  Bob Emiliani , the author of  Practical Lean Leadership: A Strategic Leadership Guide For Executives . It's a workbook-style guide that forces you to think through your own leadership approach and your own situation. In this podcast, we talk about “lean leadership,” “value added behaviors,” and some pitfalls to avoid in lean implementa...

Episode page Here is LeanBlog Podcast #37, once again featuring  Dr. Jeffrey Liker , Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Liker is most recently the co-author (with Michael Hoseus) of  Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way  and many other books, which can be found  here on amazon.com . This is part 1 of what will be a 3-part podcast s...

Episode page: https://leanblog.org/36   LeanBlog Podcast #36 once again features our friend and frequent guest,  Norman Bodek , noted lean author, consultant, and President of PCS Press. In this episode, Norman talks about his most recent publication, a text by the legendary  Shigeo Shingo , called  Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking – The Scientific Thinking Mechanism , as well as future pub...