How Well Does Your Organization Handle Problems? August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, Lean Thinking.Tags: leadership, Lean Thinking
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Lee Fried at Daily Kaizen recalls a Lean training session where the instructor claimed that assessing a Lean transformation was relatively easy. It depended upon how anyone in a managerial position handled a problem. For example, did they ignore it? Accept it? Or seek to fix it? Mr. Fried also finds it useful to understand how teams handle problems over time: they go from questioning the idea of a problem existing at all to taking responsibility for individual problems.
Check out Mr. Fried’s article here.
BP Needed an Andon Cord August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: energy, Lean Thinking, workforce
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According to BP, everyone on the Deepwater Horizon rig had “stop-order authority”, meaning that even the most lowly worker could suspend operations indefinitely. But the great tragedy had no shortage of warning signs. Rick Wartzman therefore asks why no one on the rig stepped up to issue a stop-work order. In a heavily-specialized environment, workers know their job better than anyone else. This gives them the authority to issue a stop order. According to Mr. Warzman, it appears as though some tried to sound the alarm, but there was too much control at the top.
Check out Mr. Warzman’s article here.
BP Needed an Andon Cord August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: energy, Lean Thinking, workforce
add a comment
According to BP, everyone on the Deepwater Horizon rig had “stop-order authority”, meaning that even the most lowly worker could suspend operations indefinitely. But the great tragedy had no shortage of warning signs. Rick Wartzman therefore asks why no one on the rig stepped up to issue a stop-work order. In a heavily-specialized environment, workers know their job better than anyone else. This gives them the authority to issue a stop order. According to Mr. Warzman, it appears as though some tried to sound the alarm, but there was too much control at the top.
Check out Mr. Warzman’s article here.
How Well Does Your Organization Handle Problems? August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, Lean Thinking.Tags: leadership, Lean Thinking
add a comment
Lee Fried at Daily Kaizen recalls a Lean training session where the instructor claimed that assessing a Lean transformation was relatively easy. It depended upon how anyone in a managerial position handled a problem. For example, did they ignore it? Accept it? Or seek to fix it? Mr. Fried also finds it useful to understand how teams handle problems over time: they go from questioning the idea of a problem existing at all to taking responsibility for individual problems.
Check out Mr. Fried’s article here.
Define Success as Learning, and the Culture Will Follow August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: culture, Lean Thinking, workforce
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Michael Balle at The Lean Edge talks about success, failure, and learning. Dr. Balle has found that while some people tend to learn naturally, others refuse to do it, despite the consequences. Lean successes are garnered by improving processes in specific ways, and in teaching every person in the process the ability to better understand their work. Dr. Balle states that, over time, this brings about better results. But for this to happen, each person needs to accept that he or she needs to learn.
Check out Dr. Balle’s informative article here.
Is Labor a Significant Cost…Or Not? August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, supply chain, workforce.Tags: Lean Thinking, outsourcing, supply chain, workforce
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Kevin Meyer at Evolving Excellence has demonstrated in the past that, based on internal improvements, North American companies can compete well – from North America. The only real cause to move a business overseas might be to be closer to the customers. Rising labor costs in China are becoming a headache for businesses who once viewed outsourcing as a more plentiful source of return. Indeed, lack of a mature supply chain structure in other countries – like Vietnam – ultimately cause costs other than labor to rise, and total cost goes up as a result.
Check out Mr. Waddell’s post here.
Cafeteria Lean August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, supply chain.Tags: Lean Thinking, supply chain
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Bill Waddell, over at Evolving Excellence, explains that Nissan attempts Lean the way a woman ordering a huge meal and a diet coke handles dieting. It just doesn’t work. Nissan has had to shut down several of its plants for a few days to make up for a supply chain problem with a shortage of parts. The problem, Mr. Waddell explains, isn’t that lean won’t work for Nissan; it is that Nissan isn’t using lean well enough. A poor supply chain –with companies looking to find their way around European Union tax laws, for example –is the root of the problem.
Check out the Evolving Excellence article here.
Define Success as Learning, and the Culture Will Follow August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: culture, Lean Thinking, workforce
add a comment
Michael Balle at The Lean Edge talks about success, failure, and learning. Dr. Balle has found that while some people tend to learn naturally, others refuse to do it, despite the consequences. Lean successes are garnered by improving processes in specific ways, and in teaching every person in the process the ability to better understand their work. Dr. Balle states that, over time, this brings about better results. But for this to happen, each person needs to accept that he or she needs to learn.
Check out Dr. Balle’s informative article here.
Is Labor a Significant Cost…Or Not? August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, supply chain, workforce.Tags: Lean Thinking, outsourcing, supply chain, workforce
add a comment
Kevin Meyer at Evolving Excellence has demonstrated in the past that, based on internal improvements, North American companies can compete well – from North America. The only real cause to move a business overseas might be to be closer to the customers. Rising labor costs in China are becoming a headache for businesses who once viewed outsourcing as a more plentiful source of return. Indeed, lack of a mature supply chain structure in other countries – like Vietnam – ultimately cause costs other than labor to rise, and total cost goes up as a result.
Check out Mr. Waddell’s post here.
Cafeteria Lean August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, supply chain.Tags: Lean Thinking, supply chain
add a comment
Bill Waddell, over at Evolving Excellence, explains that Nissan attempts Lean the way a woman ordering a huge meal and a diet coke handles dieting. It just doesn’t work. Nissan has had to shut down several of its plants for a few days to make up for a supply chain problem with a shortage of parts. The problem, Mr. Waddell explains, isn’t that lean won’t work for Nissan; it is that Nissan isn’t using lean well enough. A poor supply chain –with companies looking to find their way around European Union tax laws, for example –is the root of the problem.
Check out the Evolving Excellence article here.
Convincing Executives to Go Lean August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in change management, leadership, lean.Tags: leadership, lean
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How does one convince an executive to go Lean? The answer to that question, says Dan Jones, co-author of Lean Thinking, over at the Lean Edge, is to use two stories. One story involved a CEO overseeing operational details and changes that slowly came together, producing savings and giving rise to new business models that were previously unaffordable. The second story involved a company already dealing with tremendous profits, with independent local plants that jealously guarded their independence, and shut out lean implementation.
Check out Mr. Jones’s article here.
Lean Leads to Green at Hospital, Which Supports Lean August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, lean.Tags: green business, lean
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Mark Graban over at Lean Blog highlights the lean and green efforts of Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, whose employees took it upon themselves to reduce waste and take the lead on environmental and green initiatives. The lean process –challenging employees to continually improve, as well as utilize their creativity and talents –leads to a much more effective work culture, as demonstrated by the green efforts of the CMC staff.
Check out Mr. Graban’s post here.
The Red Bead Game Applied to Medical Errors August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in healthcare, quality, six sigma.Tags: healthcare, quality, six sigma
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Deming’s Red Bead Game – an exercise in process variation and performance measurement – was applied to the healthcare field by the BBC and was presented by Mark Graban over at Lean Blog. Even when odds are identical –all patients having exactly the same chance of dying, and all surgeons having the same surgical skill – chance can wreak havoc. Readers can adjust the chance calculator on the BBC website to understand how chance can impact an organization or event.
Check out the Lean Blog Post here and the BBC article and chance calculator here.
Convincing Executives to Go Lean August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in change management, leadership, lean.Tags: leadership, lean
add a comment
How does one convince an executive to go Lean? The answer to that question, says Dan Jones, co-author of Lean Thinking, over at the Lean Edge, is to use two stories. One story involved a CEO overseeing operational details and changes that slowly came together, producing savings and giving rise to new business models that were previously unaffordable. The second story involved a company already dealing with tremendous profits, with independent local plants that jealously guarded their independence, and shut out lean implementation.
Check out Mr. Jones’s article here.
Lean Leads to Green at Hospital, Which Supports Lean August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, lean.Tags: green business, lean
add a comment
Mark Graban over at Lean Blog highlights the lean and green efforts of Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, whose employees took it upon themselves to reduce waste and take the lead on environmental and green initiatives. The lean process –challenging employees to continually improve, as well as utilize their creativity and talents –leads to a much more effective work culture, as demonstrated by the green efforts of the CMC staff.
Check out Mr. Graban’s post here.
The Red Bead Game Applied to Medical Errors August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in healthcare, quality, six sigma.Tags: healthcare, quality, six sigma
add a comment
Deming’s Red Bead Game – an exercise in process variation and performance measurement – was applied to the healthcare field by the BBC and was presented by Mark Graban over at Lean Blog. Even when odds are identical –all patients having exactly the same chance of dying, and all surgeons having the same surgical skill – chance can wreak havoc. Readers can adjust the chance calculator on the BBC website to understand how chance can impact an organization or event.
Check out the Lean Blog Post here and the BBC article and chance calculator here.
A Smarter First-Aid Kit August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in customer focus, new products and technologies.Tags: customer focus, new products and technologies
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The First-Aid Support Kit, designed by Kristine Erdman, seeks to assist those with no medical experience and in need of first-aid. The kit, divided into compartments based on the kind of injury, contains the kinds of medical supplies needed for those specific kinds of injuries. Graphics on the lids of the compartments demonstrate how to handle injuries.
For those of us who marvel at the lack of user-friendly visual controls and text-rich “users” manuals that actually get in the way of using a product, let this serve as inspiration.
Check out more photographs and find more information here.
A Smarter First-Aid Kit August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in customer focus, new products and technologies.Tags: customer focus, new products and technologies
add a comment
The First-Aid Support Kit, designed by Kristine Erdman, seeks to assist those with no medical experience and in need of first-aid. The kit, divided into compartments based on the kind of injury, contains the kinds of medical supplies needed for those specific kinds of injuries. Graphics on the lids of the compartments demonstrate how to handle injuries.
For those of us who marvel at the lack of user-friendly visual controls and text-rich “users” manuals that actually get in the way of using a product, let this serve as inspiration.
Check out more photographs and find more information here.
The Financial Impact of Continuous Improvement August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean.Tags: lean
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Continuous improvement efforts are usually assessed by money, says Ralph Keller writing at Industry Week. It is difficult to get executives to commit to continuous improvement as a matter of faith. They want to know about the bottom line. After-the-fact estimates are well in supply –such as Danaher and Toyota’s statistics show. But despite the long term profitability associated with Lean transformation, the pursuit of short term results will have a significant negative impact.
Check out the Industry Week article here.
How to Design Poor Service August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in customer focus, Lean Thinking.Tags: customer focus, Lean Thinking
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100% utilization of people or equipment never works. It leads to long waiting lines, hold time, and inventory. Mark Graban over at Lean Blog recounts his June vacation where American Airlines lost his, and his wife’s luggage for four days. He wrote a letter to American Airlines, and received a call and voicemail from someone in their executive offices. Attempting to return the call several times, Mr. Graban could never get through. He muses that rather than mass e-mails offering apologies, American Airlines should focus on eliminating the need for mass apology e-mails.
Check out Mr. Graban’s post –and his bad experiences with Verizon FIOS – here.
The Powerpoint Balancing Act August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity.Tags: personal productivity
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A successful Powerpoint presentation depends upon two things: the information contained on the slide, and how the information is presented. This draws together creation and delivery. John Baldoni at Bloomberg Businessweek has a few pointers. For example, keep in mind the context of the entire presentation: why is it being given? Another example is to not read information off slides verbatim.
Check out Mr. Baldoni’s tips here.
Why So Many Managers are Cowards August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, team development.Tags: leadership
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Leadership tends to blame problems on people, rather than on the policies that leadership employs. But sometimes, the problem does indeed happen to be a person. But rather than dealing with the problematic person, management prefers the less-personal, non-confrontational route of changing the policy. For example, a professor with a weak syllabus will not be called out; rather, the entire department will receive a standard syllabus all professors must adhere to. But such actions are unfair to the personnel performing well.
Check out the Bloomberg Businessweek article here.
Why So Many Managers are Cowards August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, team development.Tags: leadership
add a comment
Leadership tends to blame problems on people, rather than on the policies that leadership employs. But sometimes, the problem does indeed happen to be a person. But rather than dealing with the problematic person, management prefers the less-personal, non-confrontational route of changing the policy. For example, a professor with a weak syllabus will not be called out; rather, the entire department will receive a standard syllabus all professors must adhere to. But such actions are unfair to the personnel performing well.
Check out the Bloomberg Businessweek article here.
How to Design Poor Service August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in customer focus, Lean Thinking.Tags: customer focus, Lean Thinking
add a comment
100% utilization of people or equipment never works. It leads to long waiting lines, hold time, and inventory. Mark Graban over at Lean Blog recounts his June vacation where American Airlines lost his, and his wife’s luggage for four days. He wrote a letter to American Airlines, and received a call and voicemail from someone in their executive offices. Attempting to return the call several times, Mr. Graban could never get through. He muses that rather than mass e-mails offering apologies, American Airlines should focus on eliminating the need for mass apology e-mails.
Check out Mr. Graban’s post –and his bad experiences with Verizon FIOS – here.
The Powerpoint Balancing Act August 12, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity.Tags: personal productivity
add a comment
A successful Powerpoint presentation depends upon two things: the information contained on the slide, and how the information is presented. This draws together creation and delivery. John Baldoni at Bloomberg Businessweek has a few pointers. For example, keep in mind the context of the entire presentation: why is it being given? Another example is to not read information off slides verbatim.
Check out Mr. Baldoni’s tips here.
