217 - Alan Robinson, The Idea-Driven Organization

Podcasts are sponsored by KaiNexus and their continuous improvement software platform -- www.KaiNexus.com

Our guest today is Alan G. Robinson, PhD, an award-winning author, educator, researcher and consultant. He has co-authored six books, including Modern Approaches to Manufacturing Improvement: The Shingo System, Ideas Are Free, and his latest, The Idea-Driven Organization. His specialties include managing continuous improvement, creativity, ideas and innovation, and Lean production, being one of the earliest professors to visit Japan to study the Toyota Production System.

In this episode, we talk about the history of suggestion programs (and a surprising detail about their history), why 80% of an organization's improvement comes from staff ideas, and why high-performing idea systems are rare. We also talk about some of the pitfalls of traditional cost-benefit analysis, the role of leaders and humility, and a company, Scania, that intentionally overstaffs to provide time for Kaizen, leading to 12-15% annual productivity improvement. Why is mankind still battling against command-and-control management systems? And what's the real story behind American Airlines famously removing an olive from their salads?

We cover all of that and more in this episode.

For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/217.

For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes.

216 - Dan Jones, Lean Outside of Manufacturing

Podcasts are sponsored by KaiNexus and their continuous improvement software platform -- www.KaiNexus.com

Returning to the podcast after his first appearance in Episode #188 is Daniel T. Jones, founder and chairman of the UK-based Lean Enterprise Academy. You can find him on Twitter now as @DanielJonesLean.

Dan collaborated with Jim Womack on the books The Machine That Changed the World, Lean Thinking, and Lean Solutions and published other books through the LEA. He is also a senior advisor to the relatively new website and journal "Planet Lean."

In this episode, we talk about some of the progress being made in areas outside of manufacturing. Dan says there's "awareness everywhere" but asks if there's "real depth" in Lean progress? We'll discuss how we can reframe Lean for the public sector and healthcare as a way of going beyond mere cost cutting programs. What does Dan seeing happen in software and startup sectors with Lean in companies like Spotify in Sweden? How is interest in the core "respect for people" leading to a search for "more holistic management methods?"

For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/216.

For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes.

215 - John Ervin, Lean & Patient Safety in th

Today's guest is my friend John Ervin and we were able to sit down together here in San Antonio to record this episode. John has about 20 years of healthcare leadership experience, including military medicine and the civilian sector. He's been a manager and director of operating rooms in many types of hospital and surgical center settings.

We share a passion for Lean and, more importantly, patient safety. We believe strongly that you need the right type of culture and leadership to encourage and support a culture of safety and that's what we'll talk about today.

While he's been in San Antonio for about three years, he's currently exploring job opportunities back in Philadelphia.

For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/215.

For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes.

Podcasts are sponsored by KaiNexus and their continuous improvement software platform -- www.KaiNexus.com

214 - Michael Ballé, Lead With Respect

Today's guest is Michael Ballé, an author of many novels about Lean management, published by the Lean Enterprise Institute. He joins us for this episode from Paris (he shares many photos of "Paris moments" via his Twitter account @TheGembaCoach). Michael and his father, Freddy, have collaborated on these books and have learned about as directly from Toyota as anybody (Freddy was CEO of the French automotive supplier Sommer-Allibert and was coached by them).

The three novels are:

- The Gold Mine
- The Lean Manager
- Lead With Respect

As we joke about in the podcast, I'm not a fiction reader, in general, so I don't care for business novels. But, many people do!

I read Michael's non-fiction essays and articles, including:

- "The Gemba Coach" column on Lean.org
- His answers to questions on TheLeanEdge.org (where I'm also a contributor)

Michael is a first-time podcast guest (which we were both shocked to discover), but I did host a four-part written Q&A with him back in 2009.
For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/215.

For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes.

Podcasts are sponsored by KaiNexus and their continuous improvement software platform -- www.KaiNexus.com