Archive for Kaizen
PDCA, Kaizen & Culture in a Lean Enterprise
Posted by: | CommentsLean technology has now evolved from the manufacturing floor to the whole enterprise. Many companies have found real value in applying the fundamental concepts of Lean throughout the organization. The lean concepts of Kaizen, PDCA and the tools such as Pareto Charts, 5 Why’s and even Poka Yoke are commonplace.
As a result of discussing a Lean Enterprise with Dr. Michael Balle, I asked him about his thoughts on the culture of Lean.
Dr. Balle is also a Shingo Prize winner as an author of the The Gold Mine
Dr. Michael Balle is the Gemba Coach at the Lean Enterprise Institute
Related Information:
Lean Thinking Perspectives from Dr. Michael Balle
A Gemba Talk with Womack on Lean
Continuously Improving thru PDCA eBook
Power of Check = The Pivot in PDCA
Lean is not a revolution, Lean is solve one thing and prove one thing!
Posted by: | CommentsAs Dr. Balle said, “Toyota didn’t become number one by having lower manufacturing costs, they became number one by making cars people bought.”
Excerpt from the Transcription of the Business901 Podcast, Outside the Walls of a Lean Enterprise:
Joe: Before you start can you define Kaizen? Are you defining Kaizen as just continuous improvement?
Michael: Kaizen has two aspects. One aspect is problem solving, which means every production cell should work at a certain level of standard. Everything should work at a certain level. Then, because the environment changes all the time, the machinery runs down, the customer changes their mind. You know, something happens. So, we’re not at that level. We have to do is to fight very hard every day to stay at that level although the environment has changed.
The second part of Kaizen is, once you are at that level, how do you push the limit? How do you move beyond? How do you have the number of quality problems you have? How do you do the same volume work with one person less on the team in the process, but not with working harder? How do you work safer? That would be the second element of Kaizen. So one is just holding to the standards no matter what the world throws at you. The second time is once you hold your standard, how do you push yourself to actually improve the standard? That would be Kaizen, and Kaizen in terms of small, practical steps.
This is not a revolution, this is solve one thing and prove one thing. This is not turning everything around.
Outside the Walls of a Lean Enterprise
Audio Version: Gold Mine: A Novel of Lean Turnaround
The audiobook features performances by multiple readers who bring its realistic business story and characters to life. You’ll hear from:
Related Information:
Dr. Michael Balle is the Gemba Coach at the Lean Enterprise Institute
Lean Thinking Perspectives from Dr. Michael Balle
Lean Coaching & Learning with Jeff Liker
Developing a Kaizen Spirit
Developing a Kaizen Conscious with Shingo Prize winner Michael Balle
Developing a Kaizen Conscious with Shingo Prize winner Michael Balle
Posted by: | CommentsMichael Ballé is the co-author of, The Gold Mine, a bestselling business novel of a Lean Turnaround, and recently, The Lean Manager, a novel of a Lean Transformation both published by the Lean Enterprise Institute. For the past 15 years, he has studied lean transformations, helping companies develop a lean culture. He is an engaging and colorful public speaker, and I think you will find in the podcast, he lives up to his reputation. Great discussion on Lean Tools, Lean Systems, Thinking Processes and their relationship to management. I have never heard this take on Kaizen and the continuous improvement process before. Maybe, because it is so simple.
As a managing partner of ESG Consultants, Michael coaches executives in obtaining exceptional performance through using the lean tools, principles, and management attitudes. His main coaching technique is the “Real Place Visit,” where he helps senior executives to learn to see their own operational shop floors, teach their people the spirit of kaizen and draw the right conclusions for their business as a whole. He has assisted companies in their lean transformations in various fields such as manufacturing, engineering, construction, services, and healthcare.
