Columns>Opinion pieces

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The community and the individual
December 5, 2019
The community and the individual

COLUMN – As individuals, how do we relate to the Lean Community? And what motivates us to stubbornly continue down the improvement path, often against all odds?

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What sustainability looks like
June 28, 2019
What sustainability looks like

OPINION – The team at Instituto Lean Management in Barcelona comments on recent news from the Catalan healthcare sector and reflects on lean sustainability.

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When a top exec becomes the lean manager
September 11, 2018
When a top exec becomes the lean manager

OPINION – What happens when a senior executive jumps the fence and finds himself having to drive the very same change he was asking others to create?

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Lean thinking unleashes your power to innovate
March 24, 2017
Lean thinking unleashes your power to innovate

OPINION – Our systems to develop new products are slow and inadequate for the ever-changing markets we have to work in. The author describes the three lean elements that will unlock your potential to innovate.

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Good lean consultants humbly create trust and dialogue
February 24, 2017
Good lean consultants humbly create trust and dialogue

OPINION – After reading the latest book by Edgar H. Schein, the author reflects on the nature of consulting and management, and explains why humility must become a defining trait of both.

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A modern HR department must offer a dynamic work partnership
January 25, 2017
A modern HR department must offer a dynamic work partnership
talent retainment digital revolution

OPINION – The digital revolution has forever changed the nature of employment: today's workers have more choice and employers competing for them than ever before. It's about time our approach to HR reflected that.

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What the election of Donald Trump tells us about leadership
January 19, 2017
What the election of Donald Trump tells us about leadership

OPINION – Tomorrow, January 20, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as 45th President of the United States. What can his campaign and dumbfounding victory teach us about leadership?

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Real innovation stems from team efforts
November 24, 2016
Real innovation stems from team efforts

OPINION – Development managers and start-up entrepreneurs are under the illusion that innovation is just the work of especially talented individuals, but in today's world resource sharing and teamwork are preferable.

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The Wells Fargo scandal teaches us lean must be nurtured
October 28, 2016
The Wells Fargo scandal teaches us lean must be nurtured

OPINION – The latest banking scandal had us all wonder whether Wells Fargo has lost its way. But how does a pioneering bank that once had lean at its heart betray its core values so profoundly?

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The importance of transparency: lessons from a food scandal
September 30, 2016
The importance of transparency: lessons from a food scandal

OPINION – When do our mistake become an ominous sign that we are giving up on our customers and people? Following the salmonella contamination in cereals in Israel, the author reflects on business purpose and the importance of transparency.

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How lean leaders can help turn obstacles into opportunities
August 25, 2016
How lean leaders can help turn obstacles into opportunities

OPINION – Involvement, active listening and concern are crucial traits of lean leadership and the foundations on which respect for people is built into a learning organization, says Boaz Tamir reflecting on his evolution as a writer.

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Closer to your customers is where you'll find success
July 20, 2016
Closer to your customers is where you'll find success

OPINION – Look at today's disruptive companies and you'll see how all of them have understood that real innovation calls for close proximity to the customer, rather than for stubbornly taking cover in the comfort of the upstream.

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How to develop the product your customers want
June 22, 2016
How to develop the product your customers want

OPINION – When it comes to lean product development, it doesn’t matter whether you are making wine or motorcycles. Success comes from our ability to tell a story that engages our customers and a product they would line up for.

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Before developing a new product, assess your idea
May 13, 2016
Before developing a new product, assess your idea

OPINION – Working on new product development without first assessing potential risks will almost certainly lead you to failure. Can you imagine the Wright brothers flying without having done preliminary studies on the feasibility of their idea?

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Why lean thinking can boost the loyalty of our customer base
April 15, 2016
Why lean thinking can boost the loyalty of our customer base

OPINION – Most organizations today can only dream of receiving the type of enthusiastic support that certain sports teams get from their fans. In order to do that, they need to forget short-termism and put their customers first.

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Why dialogue, and not discussion, supports real innovation
March 15, 2016
Why dialogue, and not discussion, supports real innovation

OPINION – It might seem like a subtlety, but the distinction between discussion and dialogue is actually fundamental as we try to find new ways to unleash organizational creativity.

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Technology causes the market to shift towards the customer
February 17, 2016
Technology causes the market to shift towards the customer

OPINION – A new publicly owned open-source technology promises to make direct, unmediated trade relations trustworthy, opening the door to an era of democratization and cooperation in global commerce.

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Embrace innovation, empower people, pave the way for change
January 19, 2016
Embrace innovation, empower people, pave the way for change

OPINION - Managers who want to hold on to their hierarchically controlled businesses and defend them against creativity and change are not protecting their organizations, but putting them at risk.

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Customer value: the only way for a firm to ensure success
December 11, 2015
Customer value: the only way for a firm to ensure success
boaz tamir customer value

OPINION – Managers and investors are starting to understand that, in the long term, a company's success is built on value for the customer and not on marketing manipulations.

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Is Barcelona's government run with lean thinking?
October 1, 2015
Is Barcelona's government run with lean thinking?

OPINION – When thinking about Barcelona, most of us think of Gaudí’s architecture, tapas and beach weather, but the Catalonian capital might also be a worthy example of lean principles applied to city management.

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What does lean management look like in our every-day life?
April 2, 2015
What does lean management look like in our every-day life?

OPINION - If you have ever 5S-ed your daughter’s room or tried to bring one-piece flow to your grocery routine, this article on what lean management looks like in our personal lives is for you.

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Josh Howell of LEI reports on his visit to Tel Aviv
January 28, 2015
Josh Howell of LEI reports on his visit to Tel Aviv

OPINION – Lean Global Network institutes regularly collaborate on education. Josh Howell of Lean Enterprise Institute recently visited our Israeli affiliate to deliver a couple of workshops.

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The meaning of the andon cord
January 8, 2015
The meaning of the andon cord

OPINION – A trip to West Africa to deliver a lean workshop prompts Anton Grütter, CEO of Lean Institute Africa, to reflect on the meaning of the Andon cord.

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Kaizen: from frustration to learning
September 10, 2014
Kaizen: from frustration to learning

OPINION – How many times, in the early stages of kaizen events, have you thought about giving up? Hang in there. As frustrating as they can be, they will also teach you a lot, says our Danish colleague.

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Why national traits do not matter when it comes to lean
March 20, 2014
Why national traits do not matter when it comes to lean

OPINION - How often have you heard the sentence, “Lean can’t work here – this isn’t Japan”? Probably more than you can remember. Here’s why national traits are simply another excuse for a failed attempt to change.

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