Quality of Work Life and the Toyota System
Books on lean management and the Toyota Production System are too often presented as if this system has been a virtual heaven of production efficiency and worker satisfaction. In the author's enthusiasm, questions about stress and work life are rarely raised or they...
Socio-Technical and Lean Systems: Design for Sustainability
The goal of this article is to bring together socio-technical systems (STS) thinking and methodology and lean management thinking. There is a huge advantage in combining the two along with an important third and missing piece of the “whole-system.” For lean or STS...
Dr. Deming: Joy at Work, Happiness, & the High Performance Organization
Dr. Deming was fond of promoting the idea that every employee should be able to achieve joy at work and that joy would lead to improved quality and performance for the organization. The research on happiness supports the value of his intuition. Seeking happiness is consistent with seeking a high performance organization.
Fast Cycle Lean and the Rebirth of American Manufacturing at GE’s Appliance Park
The return of jobs by GE to its Louisville Appliance Park is the best evidence yet of a new trend and it is important that every company engaged in manufacturing consider the key elements that make this a sound business decision. It is an example of “macro-lean”, the creation of processes that unite major functions in the organization.
The Lean Culture Challenge: Can You Graduate from the 5S’s to The 7S’s that Really Matter?
Doing 5S is easy because it requires nothing of executives and very little if any change in the behavior of managers. It does not disrupt their world. And, that is exactly why it does not address the big issues that drive the culture and competitiveness of any organization. Real competitive advantage is derived from internal strategy, building the capabilities of the organization, and that requires managing the Big Seven S’s of organization culture.
The Fiscal Cliff and Life in the Freshman Dorm, or why “The Pigeon is Never Wrong!”
The behavior of Congress and getting to the edge of the cliff is no mystery. It is a phenomena well known to freshman college students and every mouse or pigeon subjected to behavioral psychology research.