Jim Womack

What foils our ability to apply effective daily management

Womack's YokotenFeb 28, 2017

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – Effective daily management is still hard to achieve for most organizations. But until line managers start tackling problems first hand as they emerge, rather than deferring and delegating them, basic stability will remain a mirage.

Picturing trade in a world of lean enterprises

Womack's YokotenJan 31, 2017

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – Between the upcoming Brexit negotiations and the protectionist stance of the new US Administration, trade is making the headlines once again. But what would trade look like in a world of lean organizations?

You can’t make countries great without great jobs

Womack's YokotenDec 21, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – Small firms represent the backbone of the economy, and there is no doubt lean can help them improve and grow – by making the jobs they offer great. Without it, countries won't be great either.

Jim Womack on asking questions rather than providing answers

Womack's YokotenNov 29, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – As a first instinct, most of us tend to provide answers and solutions rather than ask questions. In this month's Yokoten, Jim Womack provides advice on how to fight this behavior and become a coach.

Work as we know it is disappearing; how can lean adapt?

Womack's YokotenOct 26, 2016

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – The rise of the robots may still belong in sci-fi books, but there is no doubt that work as we know it is fading away. What is the role of lean thinking in this world of drones and driverless taxis?

Jim Womack takes on the legacy of Taylor and Ford

Lean ManagementSep 26, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – The author reflects on how the legacy of Taylor and Ford still poses challenges to the lean movement, and why critics should move past a simplistic view of lean as mere standardization.

Womack – sustaining gains must become a focus of management

Lean ManagementAug 29, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – In our lean journeys we spend so much time on improvement (kaizen) and innovation (kaikaku) that we often forget to address the issue of how to maintain our gains. Do you know iji? Perhaps you should.

Jim Womack shares insights on how to help lean spread faster

Lean ManagementJul 26, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – How it is that some ideas and innovations spread like wildfire while others are slower to take roots? It is clear that lean thinking belongs to the latter category, but how can we speed up its diffusion?

The future of agriculture – Jim Womack visits a lean farm

Lean ManagementJun 28, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – Lean in agriculture might still be in its infancy, but there is a small farm in Indiana that is already proving how valuable lean principles and techniques can be to this industry.

Womack: lean transformed automotive once and can do it again

Lean ManufacturingMay 30, 2016

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – In this month’s column, Jim shares an insightful analysis of the trends and dynamics of today’s automotive industry and looks at the opportunity that lean has to facilitate its next transformation.

Womack: why lean is an opportunity for today’s aerospace

Lean ManagementApr 25, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – As a new age in aerospace dawns, with a need to move from huge and bespoke designs to affordable and high-volume production, lean thinking has a key role to play. But will the industry listen?

Kaizen or kaikaku, wonders Jim Womack in his latest column

Lean ManagementMar 29, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN - Kaizen or kaikaku? This is the problem. When it comes to the pace of change, should we carry on with small, incremental improvements or aim at more revolutionary changes instead?

A New Year’s Resolution: Start with the Work

Womack's YokotenJan 5, 2016

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN - If you are going to succeed at one of your resolutions for 2016, let it be that of always starting off a lean transformation with a deep analysis of the work at a single point in your organization, and then escalating your efforts to reach all the factors influencing the work.

Jim Womack: a lasting transformation calls for “good jobs”

Lean ManagementNov 23, 2015

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – If truly embraced, lean thinking sustains and (in the long run) even creates jobs, but if a transformation is to last these jobs must be “good,” says Jim Womack.

Jim Womack on what is holding lean thinking back

Lean ManagementOct 27, 2015

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – On October 10, 1990 the book that introduced lean thinking to the world was published. Twenty-five years after Machine, one of the authors reflects on what the lean movement has achieved and on what is slowing it down.

Jim Womack comments on the Volkswagen scandal

Lean ManagementSep 29, 2015

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – The Volkswagen “defeat device” scandal is the latest example of a company that has chosen to focus on growth rather than the customer. What can we learn from this, and what should we do when such a shift takes place?

Jim Womack discusses Uber and Airbnb

Lean ManagementAug 25, 2015

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – The sharing economy came with a very “lean” promise – underutilized resources made available to those who need them for a reasonable fee – but not all that glitters is gold.