Episode #138 is a discussion with Al Norval from Lean Pathways , talking about his new publication titled: “ The Lean Manifesto: Back to basics – how a Lean business system creates value by engaging everyone in improvement .” It's a free six-page document and you can download it here . The manifesto is a fun, upbeat guide to the basics of the Lean methodology and management system, including a brief history of Lean, as well as its foundational concepts, and a discussion of why “just in time” is ...
Feb 09, 2012•26 min•Season 1Ep. 138
Episode #137 is a chat with Jerry Bussell, founder of the Jacksonville Lean Consortium. I've met and talked with Jerry many times through LEI, so I'm thrilled to finally get him on the podcast. Jerry is a retired Medtronic executive (leading Lean efforts in a unit that won the Shingo Prize); he's now doing work with healthcare quality improvement, he's writing a new book, and he's speaking at the Lean Transformation Summit next month in Jacksonville . Jerry is also friends with Sami Bahri, DDS –...
Feb 02, 2012•25 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Our guest for episode #136 is Paul Akers , President of FastCap and author of the book 2 Second Lean . Remastered August 2021 Here, we are talking about the new book and how small improvements that save two seconds in your daily work can contribute to an engaging and fun “Lean Culture.” You can also view a video recording of the discussion here on YouTube . Paul was previously a guest on episode #122 , talking about LeanAmerica.org , so please check that out too. For a link to this episode, refe...
Jan 26, 2012•22 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Our guest for episode #135 is Dan Markovitz, author of the new book A Factory of One: Applying Lean Principles to Banish Waste and Improve Your Personal Performance . If your New Year's resolutions include improving your own personal productivity, Dan is a great person to talk to about the application of Lean principles to your own professional work – whether you work in an aspiring Lean organization or not. Dan was previously a guest on episode #52 , so please check that out too. For a link to ...
Jan 03, 2012•26 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Episode #134 is a different topic than usual. Instead of strictly talking Lean, today's discussion is about broader issues of healthcare quality and our United States military. Joining me are Daniel Sullivan , President and General Manager of the The Sergeant Thomas Joseph Sullivan Center (SSC) , a non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving health outcomes for current and former military personnel, especially those who are suffering from emerging, complicated, or currently unexplaine...
Dec 22, 2011•32 min•Season 1Ep. 134
Episode #133 is hosted by Ron Pereira , from Gemba Academy , as he leads me through additional Q&A as a follow up to our recent webinar on my upcoming book Healthcare Kaizen and some of the concepts from the book on the theme of “Putting the Continuous Back in Continuous Improvement.” You can view the recording via this link . Two of the main themes were that “kaizen” is not always about weeklong events and that suggestion boxes are not the same as the kaizen approach. Kaizen ideally involve...
Dec 16, 2011•31 min•Season 1Ep. 133
A returning guest for episode #132, we are joined by author and professor Bob Emiliani . Today, we are chatting about some videos he recently posted to his website… 10-year-old videos that document executives from Virginia Mason Medical Center, now considered a leader in Lean healthcare, visiting a Lean manufacturing company, Wiremold. You can view the videos on Bob's site or read some summaries via this blog post of mine . In the podcast, Bob reflects on those videos and we talk about some of t...
Dec 07, 2011•20 min•Season 1Ep. 132
My guest for episode #131 is Paul Borawski , the CEO of ASQ, the American Society for Quality . Today, we are talking about ASQ, their recent World Quality Month events (November), and other topics including: Their “YouQ” video contest (vote on the submissions now via Facebook) The ending of federal funding for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award ( as I blogged about ) Paul's blog post on the passing of Bob Galvin and Steve Jobs I'm also happy to be presenting (about Healthcare Kaizen ) ...
Dec 02, 2011•23 min•Season 1Ep. 131
My guest for episode #130 is Greg Howell, co-founder and managing director of the Lean Construction Institute (LCI), a non-profit organization devoted to production management research in design and construction. Howell brings 35 years of construction industry project management, consulting and university-level teaching experience to LCI. In this episode, we'll be talking about lean design and construction methods, parallels to general lean thinking, and lessons learned. For a link to this episo...
Oct 13, 2011•28 min•Season 1Ep. 130
My guest for episode #129 is Chris Cooper, a vice president with Simpler Consulting. We're talking about his new book The Little Book of Lean . We discuss his career in Lean and the background of his book, which is intended to be a simple introductory primer for those who are new to the methodology. Chris has worked in aerospace, as well as military and non-profit applications of Lean. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/129 . For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast...
Aug 31, 2011•24 min•Season 1Ep. 129
Episode Page Podcast #128 turns the tables a bit, as your host Mark Graban is, this time, interviewed by Dirk Dusharme and Ryan Day from the online video show “ Quality Digest Live. ” Thanks to Quality Digest , I'm able to share the audio from my segment on the show with you in this format. You can view the episode here, if you like . In this episode, we talk about lean healthcare and quality. We'll be back to the regular show next week. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.o...
Aug 24, 2011•15 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/127 Remastered audio June 2021 Podcast #127 is a very special conversation with a leader and a hero of mine in the world of patient safety, Richard P. Shannon, MD . Dr. Shannon is a cardiologist and is Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as well as the Senior Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Department of Medicine. We'll be talking about his work in using Lean methods ...
Aug 18, 2011•20 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Episode Page My guest for Podcast #126 is Bob Lutz , author of the book Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business . Retiring in late 2010 as vice chairman of General Motors, he currently runs Bob Lutz Communications . During his 47-year career in the auto industry, he worked for GM, Ford, BMW, and Chrysler and he's a legend in Detroit, where I grew up. In this podcast, we discuss his new book, his thoughts on designing products that create value and excitement for ...
Aug 09, 2011•19 min•Season 1Ep. 126
My guest for Podcast #125 is Mike George, the founder of Strong America Now, a “nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing and educating citizens to support only those Presidential candidates who commit to eliminating the deficit with no new taxes.” In this episode, George talks about his efforts to get candidates to commit to getting personally educated in Lean Six Sigma methods and to use these methods in their administration if elected. You can also read my previous blog post about his in...
Jul 28, 2011•17 min•Season 1Ep. 125
U.S. Treasury Secretary from 2000 to 2001 and former CEO of Alcoa. Show Notes: https://www.leanblog.org/124 Remastered June 2021 I have a very special guest for Podcast #124 – he is Paul O'Neill , the U.S. Treasury Secretary from 2001 to 2002 and former CEO of Alcoa. 2020 Update: Read my reflections on Mr. O'Neill's passing Mr. O'Neill shares his thoughts on patient safety and healthcare, including his time spent as the Chair of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and his work with Dr. Ric...
Jul 21, 2011•28 min•Season 1Ep. 124
This episode is a discussion with two leaders from Group Health Cooperative , a consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system based in Seattle, Washington. My guests are Claire Trescott, MD, Primary Care Medical Director, and Alicia Eng, Vice President of Primary Care. We will be talking about their use of Lean principles in the design and management of their “ Medical Home ” approach to primary care and wellness. You can read a PDF of a Health Affairs article that describes the benefits to pa...
Jul 14, 2011•24 min•Season 1Ep. 123
This episode is a conversation with Paul Akers , founder and president of FastCap LLC , based in Bellingham, WA. FastCap is an international product development company founded in 1997 with over 2000 distributors worldwide. Paul and FastCap have also embraced Lean, with an unmatched enthusiasm for kaizen – small, daily improvements made by people in the workplace, as you can see in their collection of Lean videos . We're also talking in this episode about his LeanAmerica.org initiative. For a li...
Jul 04, 2011•23 min•Season 1Ep. 122
Today's episode is a discussion with Mrinalini Gadkari, a Senior Lecturer at the Fisher College of Business. Today, we're talking about the new Master of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE) for Healthcare Program starting this fall. We'll talk about how the program is structured, who the intended students are, and delve a little into the curriculum that includes Lean, Six Sigma, and other improvement methodologies. Mrinalini Gadkari is a physician trained in India. She practiced in India for ...
Jun 27, 2011•20 min•Season 1Ep. 121
Today's episode is a chat with Jody Crane, MD, MBA and Chuck Noon, PhD . They are talking about their outstanding book The Definitive Guide to Emergency Department Operational Improvement: Employing Lean Principles with Current ED Best Practices to Create the “No Wait” Department . Dr. Crane is an Emergency Physician practicing at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia. From 2002 to 2009, he served as the Business Director of his group, Fredericksburg Emergency Medical Alliance. He...
Jun 21, 2011•39 min•Season 1Ep. 120
Produced in partnership with the Healthcare Value Network , episode #119 is a discussion with Dean Gruner, MD , the president & CEO of ThedaCare . Here, we talk about Strategy Deployment as a Lean management system and how it fits into their ongoing management and improvement efforts in their health system. To learn more about strategy deployment, visit YouTube for a free preview clip of a new educational DVD produced by the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value . You will also find a link t...
May 31, 2011•15 min•Season 1Ep. 119
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/118 Remastered July 2021 Episode #118 is a follow up to podcast #116 with Jim Womack , founder and former Chairman of the Lean Enterprise Institute, now their Senior Advisor and author of the new book Gemba Walks , available in paperback, Kindle format, iBooks, and other formats. In this episode, we talk about both GM and Toyota – their challenges, Jim's reflections on the companies, and thoughts about where they are headed in the future. Jim also answers rea...
May 10, 2011•29 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Episode Page Episode #117 is a conversation with Prof. Samuel A. Culbert of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Along with Daniel Pink , he is a fellow alum of Northwestern University. Prof. Culbert has a BS in Systems Engineering, the precursor of the Industrial Engineering department in which I was a student. Dr. Culbert then earned a PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA. Today, we are talking about his most recent book, Get Rid of the Performance Review!: How Companies Can Stop Intimidati...
Apr 05, 2011•31 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/116 Remastered July 2021 Episode #116 brings us Jim Womack, founder and former Chairman of the Lean Enterprise Institute, now their Senior Advisor and author of the new book "Gemba Walks," available in paperback, Kindle format, iBooks, and other formats (see lean.org for a link). Here, we talk about the new book, how a gemba walk differs from "management by walking around," some of his most memorable walks, progress in lean healthcare, and other topics. We re...
Mar 23, 2011•25 min•Season 1Ep. 116
Episode #115 is a discussion with Eric Ries ( @ericries ), entrepreneur and author of the book The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. Remastered August 2021 Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/115 You can also read a partial transcript of the podcast . Today, we talk about how got introduced to Lean, core materials like books by Womack and Jones and Jeff Liker , and how he has put a lot of thought into how to take proven ...
Mar 10, 2011•25 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Episode #114 is a conversation with John Kim, of the firm John Kim & Associates. John is a recognized leader in the Design, Development, Implementation and Deployment of Enterprise Wide Lean Transformations. As an executive at The HON Company and Danaher Corporation, John learned the keys to implementing Lean while running multiple operations across the US. With over 20 years of Lean Transformation experience, John has spent the last 12+ years in executive consulting, implementing Lean in va...
Mar 03, 2011•24 min•Season 1Ep. 114
Now actor Charlie Sheen has been all over the news lately, giving interviews to practically anyone with a microphone. This is the type of "news" I normally try to tune out, yet alone blog about. Somehow, he stumbled across my "Lean Line" phone number to talk about Lean Healthcare, although I suspect he may have been looking for the street drug called "lean." He claimed to have spent his hiatus from TV working to teach and implement the "Lean" methodology at hospitals around Los Angeles. Listen t...
Feb 28, 2011•7 min
Episode #113 is a discussion with Aubrey Daniels, PhD, the founder and chairman of his firm Aubrey Daniels International. Today, we are talking about his most recent book titled Safe By Accident?, a book I really enjoyed, so I was happy to speak with him about creating an effective safety culture culture in an organization - what doesn't work and what does work? To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/113. Visit Aubrey's website at www.aubreydaniels.com. For earlier episode...
Feb 21, 2011•23 min•Season 1Ep. 113
Episode #112 is a chat with Naida Grunden, the author of the outstanding book The Pittsburgh Way to Efficient Healthcare: Improving Patient Care Using Toyota Based Methods . Remastered Oct 2022 - the audio quality isn't great, but you can read the transcript here: https://leanblog.org/112 Here we talk about her experiences in Pittsburgh and her “small world” connection to Captain Chesley Sullenberger (a.k.a. “Sully”) and the connections between Lean, aviation safety, and checklists. To point oth...
Feb 09, 2011•25 min•Season 1Ep. 112
Episode #111 brings us some time with Professor Jeffrey Liker from the University of Michigan, the well-known author of many books in the The Toyota Way series. You can see Dr. Liker talk at the upcoming Shingo Prize Conference (hope to see you there!). Today, we are talking about his TWO upcoming books: The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement: Linking Strategy and Operational Excellence to Achieve Superior Performance and Toyota Under Fire: Lessons for Turning Crisis into Opportunity. The s...
Feb 01, 2011•32 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Episode page Episode #110 is a chat with Dr. Jack Billi from the University of Michigan Health System and Medical School. Here, we talk about their lean work and how Dr. Billi works with physicians to engage them in lean, tying lean problem solving methods, including the A3 approach, to the scientific method and medical thinking. Dr. Billi talks about the right approach to the lean concept of “standardized work” in a way that works for medicine and complex patient situations. More about Dr. Bill...
Jan 27, 2011•23 min•Season 1Ep. 110
