Go "Undercover" to Find the Flaws in Your Company - Robert M. Galford - Harvard Business Review

Go "Undercover" to Find the Flaws in Your Company - Robert M. Galford - Harvard Business Review

Robert Galford discusses the "Undercover Boss" phenomenon and recommendations about how to put such a strategy in place in the regular world.

When I first saw the show, I recognized something right away...the format is actually a new type of Kaizen event:
1. The executive meets with his senior team and determines a charter of what they hope to accomplish or learn
2. A cross section of the business is chosen to examine
3. The CEO goes to the Gemba, in disguise, to gain unfiltered data
4. The CEO learns what the intended or unintended consequences of existing policies and methods are in the field
5. The CEO returns to the board and/or institutes countermeasures based on what was learned
6. The CEO reports out to the broader organization, explaining the process, findings, and follow-up items

Other similarities:
1. Being put outside one's comfort zone as a method of learning
2. There's always at least one epiphany moment - where direct observation shatters pre-conceived views or opinions of the current state

I noticed in recent episodes, the report out seems to be missing. I hope that's only the case for the TV audience, because this new type of kaizen event can be invaluable for the actual companies.

To-Do Lists Don't Work - Daniel Markovitz - Harvard Business Review

To-Do Lists Don't Work - Daniel Markovitz - Harvard Business Review

Daniel Markovitz lays out the reasons that traditional to-do lists are counterproductive, providing a poor guide to time management and prioritization.

What's most interesting is the substitute he proposes for the to-do list and the issues it resolves.

How to implement "Lean Thinking" in a Business: How to translate waste to cost - My 1 second lesso...

How to implement "Lean Thinking" in a Business: How to translate waste to cost - My 1 second lesso...: So as many of you know, I was blessed with the opportunity to learn lessons from my Japanese trainers during the start up phase at TMMK (Toy...

Lean Simulations: Single Piece Flow vs. Batch Production - Video

Lean Simulations: Single Piece Flow vs. Batch Production - Video: Single Piece Flow vs Batch Production Most lean games and simulations run in phases, contrasting the traditional batch production tech...

Kaizen Notebook: Bilateral Symmetry, Standard Work, and "The Box"

Kaizen Notebook: Bilateral Symmetry, Standard Work, and "The Box": All creatures great and small that have ever existed on Earth, from the lowliest insects to the mightiest carnivores, share one thing in com...

Lean Thinking Review

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Lean Thinking was the book that coined the phrase "Lean Manufacturing" and launched a thousand consulting careers. It introduced the terminology and fundamental terms that are used to identify and eliminate waste throughout manufacturing processes.

The Corporate Lean Business System Body of Knowledge

The CLBS (Corporate Lean Business System) is a system for scaling up an Operational Excellence program to an enterprise consisting of multiple cells, departments, or even facilities. It's based on the business system I'm currently developing at my company, which spans 3 facilities. As mentioned in a previous post, the 3 guiding principles are:
1. The Continuous Improvement of Standard Work
2. The Voice of the Customer
3. The Development of People

The development of people is achieved through mastery of a body of knowledge based on the ASQ Lean Six Sigma BOK, but including Hoshin Kanri. Additionally, the program favors lean, and most of the statistical / QA methodologies are found in a Category called "Reduction of Variation"

The following are the general categories in the BOK:
1. Business Case / Awareness - The general principles of Lean and why the company is committed to it.
2. Standard Work & the PDCA Cycle - This is the umbrella under which you would find most of the waste reduction tools of lean. The application of the Scientific Method to improve the company's work processes.
3. The Voice of the Customer - Methods of understanding and anticipating customer needs and requirements.
4. Policy Deployment - Translating strategic objectives into aligned initiatives.
5. Lean Supply Chain - The integration of our suppliers and customers into the CLBS.
6. Lean Enterprise - The extension of Lean Six Sigma to the company's workflow systems (Administrative, IT, Accounting, HR, etc..)
7. Lean Leadership - The application of leadership, mentoring and facilitation skills in a continuous improvement culture.