So, it is a lazy Saturday morning, and my elementary school age son asked me to play a game of baseball on the Wii. He even offered to “take it easy on me.” It is impossible to resist an offer like that, so, of course I played.
The first inning was scoreless. In the second inning, he put up 4 runs to my goose egg…
I dropped my son off at his elementary school this morning. The spot where they line up was flooded with a giant puddle that was a few inches deep. Interestingly, there were a few different responses to this unusual situation. Some kids just got in line behind it and paid little attention to the standing water. Some kids moved up and explored along its edge. Some of the more adventurous ones, primarily those with boots on, walked into the puddle.
Trust is an important part of continuous improvement. Team members have to believe their bosses. They have to be sure that making gains won’t cost them their jobs and that making mistakes on projects won’t get them in trouble. Lean requires a great deal of autonomy from frontline employees. Lean Read more…
Isn’t Lean just for manufacturing? One of the common misperceptions about Lean is that it is effective only in a manufacturing environment. While it is true that this is where it has its roots, the principles of continuous improvement that are primarily associated with Lean manufacturing were used throughout Toyota in its Read more…
Some people worry about shark attacks. They see the stories on the media, and get concerned that they will be a victim. But let’s look at the numbers. In the decade of the 2000’s, there were 11 unprovoked shark attacks in the US.
One of the realities of creating standardized processes is that they need standard times. This is generally done using the Time Observation Sheet. The challenge, though, is that there are a few different strategies you can use when selecting the person who should do the work when being timed. If the person is slow, most people will be standing around when they do the process. If the observed individual is one of the most proficient, others will struggle to keep up.
The “How You Think Links” model depicts an overview of the process that a person typically follows to progress from an event occurring, to taking action, and ultimately, to getting a result. The basic steps are: Event Interpretation Emotion Decision Action Result Most people think an emotional reaction to an Read more…
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