Columns

Jim Womack on where lean has failed and why not to give up

Lean ManagementAug 29, 2017

YOKOTEN – Lean has changed the world in many ways, even though the original vision of its founding fathers has failed to materialize. Jim discusses why, as a movement, we shouldn’t give up and review our strategy instead.

Identify objectives and issues before starting a new venture

ColumnsAug 11, 2017

Boaz Tamir

COLUMN – With many of us about to leave for our summer vacations, the importance of planning (a holiday just like a business venture) could not be clearer. But objectives and potential problems should be identified before setting off.

Jim Womack on creating the social basis for lean management

Lean ManagementJul 26, 2017

Jim Womack

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – The author looks at hoshin planning, A3 thinking and daily management as the three key elements of a lean management system, and highlights the related behaviors that will allow lean to thrive.

Boaz Tamir on why we must do more than just go see

ColumnsJul 14, 2017

Boaz Tamir

COLUMN – Want to grasp the current situation? Then you must go to the gemba, but it would be a mistake to think that alone is enough to change your business… you also have to ask why and show respect.

Jim Womack drives the Toyota Mirai and talks lean and green

ToyotaJun 28, 2017

Jim Womack

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – After a road trip from Boston to Philadelphia driving Toyota’s hydrogen fuel-cell Mirai, Jim reflects on lean and green and why the two are not necessarily the same.

Why we should create a learning environment in our companies

ColumnsJun 1, 2017

Boaz Tamir

COLUMN – Creating a learning environment that welcomes problems and experimentation and adapts to market changes should be our main objective. So why do we stick to obsolete ways to teach and develop people?

Jim Womack on the lean shut-down of Toyota Australia

Lean ManagementMay 30, 2017

Jim Womack

WOMACK'S YOKOTEN – On October 3, Toyota will cease its manufacturing operations in Australia, but the way it is managing the transition - in the leanest way possible - holds great lessons for us all.

The lean lessons from the United Airlines controversy

ColumnsMay 1, 2017

Boaz Tamir

COLUMN – Last month a video surfaced of a passenger being forcibly removed from an overbooked United Airlines flight and the Internet went ablaze. What does this story tell us about the relationship between profitability and customer value?

Business school education should be gemba-based

Womack's YokotenMar 27, 2017

Jim Womack

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – Somehow surprisingly, management schools teach very little about management, and when they do all learning is classroom-based. Instead, they should go to the gemba.

Lean thinking unleashes your power to innovate

Opinion piecesMar 24, 2017

Boaz Tamir

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.

What foils our ability to apply effective daily management

Womack's YokotenFeb 28, 2017

Jim Womack

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.

Good lean consultants humbly create trust and dialogue

Opinion piecesFeb 24, 2017

Boaz Tamir

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.

Picturing trade in a world of lean enterprises

Womack's YokotenJan 31, 2017

Jim Womack

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?

A modern HR department must offer a dynamic work partnership

Opinion piecesJan 25, 2017

Boaz Tamir

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.

What the election of Donald Trump tells us about leadership

Opinion piecesJan 19, 2017

Daniel Markovitz

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?

You can’t make countries great without great jobs

Womack's YokotenDec 21, 2016

Jim Womack

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.

When technology hinders our ability to innovate

ColumnsDec 19, 2016

Boaz Tamir

OPINION – In a competitive and unpredictable market, the temptation to rely on technology is always strong, but experience proves that there is no better support than people's ability to learn and adapt to new situations.

Receive Articles in your Inbox

Connect with us

We are also here

Columns

Jim Womack on where lean has failed and why not to give up

Identify objectives and issues before starting a new venture

Jim Womack on creating the social basis for lean management

Boaz Tamir on why we must do more than just go see

Jim Womack drives the Toyota Mirai and talks lean and green

Why we should create a learning environment in our companies

Jim Womack on the lean shut-down of Toyota Australia

The lean lessons from the United Airlines controversy

Business school education should be gemba-based

Lean thinking unleashes your power to innovate

What foils our ability to apply effective daily management

Good lean consultants humbly create trust and dialogue

Picturing trade in a world of lean enterprises

A modern HR department must offer a dynamic work partnership

What the election of Donald Trump tells us about leadership

You can’t make countries great without great jobs

When technology hinders our ability to innovate