When People Point out a Problem
"None of us like to see reality when it's unpleasant or disappointing; all of us are guilty, at least to some degree of wanting rose-colored glasses. This is not an…
Lean = Learning Together
"The breakthrough thinking that Lean offers is that of better individual competence and better teamwork. This means taking responsibility when things go wrong (as they do daily) and not explaining…
Individual Accountability…or Rely on the Team? Both.
"Critical to Toyota's success is single-point accountability. One person's name goes up next to each item in an action plan. But in order to succeed, the individual responsible must work…
Make Teamwork the Foundation
"Toyota's assumption is that if you make teamwork the foundation of the company and develop strong leaders, individual performers will give their hearts and souls to contribute to the team…
The Power of a Great Team
"Your team is far more important to achieving excellence than any new technology and likely more important than brilliant product ideas. We agree with Ed Catmull, computer scientist and president…
Lean Leaders Care how the Team is Feeling
Lean Leaders pay attention to morale:"Senior managers, therefore, reacted immediately to circumstances that might lead to potential morale issues. If machinery wasn't working properly, they were as worried about worker…
Sustaining the Gains
"Sustain is perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of continuous improvement. Not only is the work to sustain just as hard as the work that created the gains in the first…
A Simplistic Look at Lean
“If you look at the Toyota Production System simplistically, it’s about making problems and improvement opportunities visible to workers and management, and addressing them as close to the source as…
The Power of Visual Management Tools
"The Toyota Way recognizes that visual management complements humans because we are visually, tactilely, and audibly oriented. And the best visual indicators are right at the worksite, where they can…
Challenging and Fulfilling Work for Employees
"Lean production is a superior way for humans to make things. It provides better products in wider variety at lower cost. Equally, important, it provides more challenging and fulfilling work…