The Essence of the Toyota Way is Respect for People and Continuous Improvement February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking.Tags: Lean Thinking
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Jeff Liker asserts that focusing solely on waste elimination doesn’t do the definition of lean justice. There is no value-added component to it – as there is in Toyota’s way of investing in people by training them. Indeed, Mr. Liker notes, the essence of the Toyota Production System is Respect for People and Continuous Improvement, a key components of respect for people is investing in them, in training, job security, and their morale.
Check out Mr. Liker’s thoughts here.
The Essence of the Toyota Way is Respect for People and Continuous Improvement February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking.Tags: Lean Thinking
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Jeff Liker asserts that focusing solely on waste elimination doesn’t do the definition of lean justice. There is no value-added component to it – as there is in Toyota’s way of investing in people by training them. Indeed, Mr. Liker notes, the essence of the Toyota Production System is Respect for People and Continuous Improvement, a key components of respect for people is investing in them, in training, job security, and their morale.
Check out Mr. Liker’s thoughts here.
Intel Volunteers Apply Lean Principles to Food Bank February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking
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Roadrunner Food Bank puts together meal packages for the elderly. The Intel team that volunteered reformatted the system, leading to an increase of 28% improvement in output. For a visual demonstration of the system administered –and to see lean in progress –check out the video over at Gemba Panta Rei.
See it al here.
Intel Volunteers Apply Lean Principles to Food Bank February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking
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Roadrunner Food Bank puts together meal packages for the elderly. The Intel team that volunteered reformatted the system, leading to an increase of 28% improvement in output. For a visual demonstration of the system administered –and to see lean in progress –check out the video over at Gemba Panta Rei.
See it al here.
Twelve Signs Arrogance is Running Your Company February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, workforce.Tags: leadership, workforce
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Alaina Love recounts a story over at Bloomberg Businessweek of the departure of an up-and-coming worker who was slated for leadership, but quit because management wasn’t receptive to his suggestions of sustainability. Ms. Love proceeds to list twelve signs that any given company is being run by arrogance. Among them including hiring and developing talent, ultimately refusing to listen to their input; leaders dictate more than they listen; and a company rationalizing its mistakes rather than learning from them.
Check out Ms. Love’s article here.
Twelve Signs Arrogance is Running Your Company February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, workforce.Tags: leadership, workforce
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Alaina Love recounts a story over at Bloomberg Businessweek of the departure of an up-and-coming worker who was slated for leadership, but quit because management wasn’t receptive to his suggestions of sustainability. Ms. Love proceeds to list twelve signs that any given company is being run by arrogance. Among them including hiring and developing talent, ultimately refusing to listen to their input; leaders dictate more than they listen; and a company rationalizing its mistakes rather than learning from them.
Check out Ms. Love’s article here.
Balancing Product Cost and Innovation February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Creativity & Innovation, manufacturing.Tags: Creativity & Innovation, manufacturing
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With product costs of manufacturing structure reaching as much as 80%, and with low-cost competitors continually arising in both established and emerging markets, innovation can be daunting. This is due to the fact that few organizations can innovate without raising costs. Among the solutions presented by the authors of the IndustryWeek article include creating a base product from which variations can be quickly made.
Check out the article here.
Balancing Product Cost and Innovation February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Creativity & Innovation, manufacturing.Tags: Creativity & Innovation, manufacturing
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With product costs of manufacturing structure reaching as much as 80%, and with low-cost competitors continually arising in both established and emerging markets, innovation can be daunting. This is due to the fact that few organizations can innovate without raising costs. Among the solutions presented by the authors of the IndustryWeek article include creating a base product from which variations can be quickly made.
Check out the article here.
Average Workers Interrupted Every 11 Minutes February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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According to the FastCompany website, the average office worker is interrupted every eleven minutes. Among other things, FastCompany recommends turning phones off and telling talkative coworkers to stop.
Check out the FastCompany Calendar bit here.
Also, check out the link in the first comment. How much do interruptions cost the U.S. economy? According to one study, almost a trillion dollars.
Average Workers Interrupted Every 11 Minutes February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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According to the FastCompany website, the average office worker is interrupted every eleven minutes. Among other things, FastCompany recommends turning phones off and telling talkative coworkers to stop.
Check out the FastCompany Calendar bit here.
Also, check out the link in the first comment. How much do interruptions cost the U.S. economy? According to one study, almost a trillion dollars.
The Value of Monotonous Rituals February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In the effort to improve personal and work productivity, to-do lists at home and at the office are once again becoming all the rage. It is important to differentiate between the thousand things that go through your mind each day, separating the trivial from the monumental. Writing them down on a list –and the rewriting the list as things are accomplished –helps prioritize.
Check out the Time Back Management blog post here.
The Value of Monotonous Rituals February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In the effort to improve personal and work productivity, to-do lists at home and at the office are once again becoming all the rage. It is important to differentiate between the thousand things that go through your mind each day, separating the trivial from the monumental. Writing them down on a list –and the rewriting the list as things are accomplished –helps prioritize.
Check out the Time Back Management blog post here.
5 Es-sential Part II February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in 5S & Visual Management, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: 5S, Lean Tools & Techniques
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When looking to understand the agents of change –not the science itself –things get murky, according to the Old Lean Dude. Why? Because then you’re dealing with human actions, such as the willingness to accept chaos, 5S is normally the first measure of effort in lean implementation, and it requires human action. Among the suggestions proposed for successful implementation, treat employees as if they are customers –you’re trying to sell them 5S, after all.
Check out the Old Lean Dude blog post here.
5 Es-sential Part II February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in 5S & Visual Management, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: 5S, Lean Tools & Techniques
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When looking to understand the agents of change –not the science itself –things get murky, according to the Old Lean Dude. Why? Because then you’re dealing with human actions, such as the willingness to accept chaos, 5S is normally the first measure of effort in lean implementation, and it requires human action. Among the suggestions proposed for successful implementation, treat employees as if they are customers –you’re trying to sell them 5S, after all.
Check out the Old Lean Dude blog post here.
Five Es-sential February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in 5S & Visual Management, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: 5S, Lean Tools & Techniques
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The Old Lean Dude wonders why, with so many hundreds of suppliers for 5S-related paraphernalia –from checklists to counseling to videos –do so many companies have such a hard time with workplace organization? The problem, he asserts, is that the focus is on the science rather than the sociology – that TPS success should be seen as 10% tools, and 90% people. Organizations are taken for granted as unorganized, and a blind eye is turned toward this disorganization.
Check out the Old Lean Dude blog post here.
Five Es-sential February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in 5S & Visual Management, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: 5S, Lean Tools & Techniques
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The Old Lean Dude wonders why, with so many hundreds of suppliers for 5S-related paraphernalia –from checklists to counseling to videos –do so many companies have such a hard time with workplace organization? The problem, he asserts, is that the focus is on the science rather than the sociology – that TPS success should be seen as 10% tools, and 90% people. Organizations are taken for granted as unorganized, and a blind eye is turned toward this disorganization.
Check out the Old Lean Dude blog post here.
Preventing Mistakes: Not Just Chump Change February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Mistake Proofing.Tags: mistake-proofing
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Companies, rather than simply committing to mistake-proofing, prefer the route of major initiatives to transform themselves. Sam Hoskins, in a guest post at Gemba Tales, explains to readers that simple mistake-proofing needs to take into account the concept of human errors. Among the most common are setup errors, Mr. Hoskins notes. He also offers a list of suggestions that help mistake-proofing, including the idea of not getting hung up on the root cause itself.
Check out the post here.
Preventing Mistakes: Not Just Chump Change February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Mistake Proofing.Tags: mistake-proofing
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Companies, rather than simply committing to mistake-proofing, prefer the route of major initiatives to transform themselves. Sam Hoskins, in a guest post at Gemba Tales, explains to readers that simple mistake-proofing needs to take into account the concept of human errors. Among the most common are setup errors, Mr. Hoskins notes. He also offers a list of suggestions that help mistake-proofing, including the idea of not getting hung up on the root cause itself.
Check out the post here.
Individual NFL Player Incentives: Why Are They Necessary? Do They Distort the Game? February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, leadership.Tags: culture, leadership
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Mark Graban over at Lean Blog has taken to analyzing an ESPN discussion about individual NFL player incentives. Some maintain that individual incentives are necessary for performance, but others maintain that they distort play and corrode the intrinsic worth of the game itself (winning and making it to the playoffs).
Check out Mr. Graban’s analysis here.
Individual NFL Player Incentives: Why Are They Necessary? Do They Distort the Game? February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, leadership.Tags: culture, leadership
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Mark Graban over at Lean Blog has taken to analyzing an ESPN discussion about individual NFL player incentives. Some maintain that individual incentives are necessary for performance, but others maintain that they distort play and corrode the intrinsic worth of the game itself (winning and making it to the playoffs).
Check out Mr. Graban’s analysis here.
Managing White Space to Effectively Check and Adjust February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in PDCA.Tags: PDCA
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Lee Fried over at Daily Kaizen writes about the Check and Adjust components of the PDCA Cycle. He compares Check and Adjust to disassembling an engine. The white space in between the parts is the greatest, and managing it is what is important. Four components –including establishing a group specifically geared toward making the value stream visible among other things, for example –are indispensible in the hypothesis, ensuring that all pieces come back together.
Check out the Daily Kaizen article here.
Managing White Space to Effectively Check and Adjust February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in PDCA.Tags: PDCA
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Lee Fried over at Daily Kaizen writes about the Check and Adjust components of the PDCA Cycle. He compares Check and Adjust to disassembling an engine. The white space in between the parts is the greatest, and managing it is what is important. Four components –including establishing a group specifically geared toward making the value stream visible among other things, for example –are indispensible in the hypothesis, ensuring that all pieces come back together.
Check out the Daily Kaizen article here.
Harnessing Viruses to Build a Better Battery February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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The Tobacco Mosaic Virus, first discovered in 1898, is now being used in battery technology. The virus is programmed so that it adheres to metallic surfaces, and its ability to replicate and self-renew is utilized by covering it with a current collector. The result is a 10-fold increase in storage abilities over a regular lithium-ion battery.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
Harnessing Viruses to Build a Better Battery February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: green business, new products and technologies
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The Tobacco Mosaic Virus, first discovered in 1898, is now being used in battery technology. The virus is programmed so that it adheres to metallic surfaces, and its ability to replicate and self-renew is utilized by covering it with a current collector. The result is a 10-fold increase in storage abilities over a regular lithium-ion battery.
Check out the GizMag write-up here.
The Assembly Plant of the Future February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in manufacturing, Workplace Design.Tags: manufacturing
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The concept of mass production has taken root in the manufacturing world. Larger production facilities with greater machinery and a better return on investment are the sought-after standards. But globalization has had its impact. Diverse markets, increasing operational complexity, and other factors are leading automakers to focus on economy of scope rather than scale. Flexible marketing technologies and techniques will allow auto manufacturers to adapt and change production as regulations, new technology, and changing factors require them to. This sort of system –a fulfillment execution system –will incorporate a series of global production facilities as a single virtual factory.
Check out the Industry Week article here.
