Lean managers and cheerleaders are pivotal to the successful integration of Kaizen mindsets and practices. For many businesses, switching to a Lean way of operations is as foreign as the Japanese concept itself. It involves putting a lot of trust in the hands of all employees and letting them do their jobs, rather than simply
Continue reading »The number of companies going through Kaizen transformations has increased significantly. Now, everyone from manufacturers and factories to federal agencies and schools are leveraging Lean mindsets and methodologies. So how can you tell if your company could benefit from a Lean transformation? There is no easy answer to that question, as there are a number
Continue reading »Due to President Barack Obama's Affordable Healthcare for America Act and the aging demographic of baby boomers, hospitals and clinics are now dealing with more patients than ever before. This has put their operations to the test, challenging every employee to collaborate more effectively in order to cope with the influx of people seeking care.
Continue reading »When employees think of training programs and initiatives, the first thing that likely comes to mind is school – long days filled with education that they may not ever put to use. Online training can help to alleviate some of these preconceptions. Whereas seminars and other training programs need to be comprehensive and cover a
Continue reading »The number of manufacturers that are recognizing the benefits of going Lean and green is rising. Although the idea of adopting environmentally friendly practices has traditionally been perceived as a more costly course of action, environmental sustainability goes hand in hand with waste reduction – a core tenet of Kaizen. For many businesses, the goals
Continue reading »Kaizen may have been developed by Japanese automakers decades ago, but continuous improvement and Lean practices are still benefitting automakers across the world today. Indus Motor Company, a Pakistan-based car manufacturer that produces automobiles for businesses such as Toyota and Daihatsu, is one of the many companies in the sector making use of Kaizen. Kaizen
Continue reading »People tend to see youth as a gift or a benefit, but there are some areas in life where young people may be at a disadvantage. This is particularly true in the business world, where there is some skepticism of younger professionals due to their perceived lack of experience and commitment. Even if young people
Continue reading »Regardless of size, there is one goal that many businesses have in common: Improvement. That being said, setting such a nebulous objective can be challenging. What is improvement? It can mean many things to a variety of businesses. For a retailer, it could be lifting sales. For a marketing company, it could be acquiring more
Continue reading »Construction has traditionally been criticized as a wasteful industry. Builders use a tremendous amount of raw materials in the production of new buildings. They also do substantial damage to the environment, most notably in the form of rainwater runoff from all the dirt and mud on construction sites. Architects are doing their part to help
Continue reading »State and federal organizations are known for tedious and slow processes that are bogged down by red tape and other administrative nightmares. The state of Iowa was no different, but administrators weren't content with the current system and launched an improvement effort. Iowa underwent a Lean transformation, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. The strategy powering the change
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