Wed, 05/15/2024 - 12:03
I’ve seen a rash of articles about major league baseball pitchers who are now out for the season because they’ve hurt their elbow and need “Tommy John” surgery. This includes some big names, such as 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber of the…
Wed, 03/20/2024 - 12:03
I’ve learned so much from Timothy R. Clark of the firm LeaderFactor, and author of the excellent book, The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety (Berrett-Koehler, 2020). I can’t recommend his work enough—including his free podcasts, webinars, and more. I…
Tue, 09/12/2023 - 12:03
I can’t count how many times during the past 20 years I’ve heard executives complain that their people aren’t enthusiastically participating in their lean program. Leaders lament that while the company has spent a small fortune to put everybody…
Wed, 07/20/2016 - 15:18
Given all of the problems that exist in our American healthcare system, it’s encouraging that most healthcare organizations are endorsing or practicing some form of process improvement or operational excellence strategy. Under the banner of…
Wed, 06/19/2013 - 11:38
From my experience, you have to be cautious when somebody says either, “Lean says you should...” or “Toyota would tell you to...” because those statements, even if stated authoritatively, can be wrong.
At a recent speaking engagement (I won’t…
Mon, 07/09/2012 - 11:06
When I was a guest on Quality Digest Live, co-host Dirk Dusharme asked me about hesitations that some health care professionals might have about the lean concept of “standardized work.” As you can see in the show’s archived recording, I talked about…
Wed, 04/25/2012 - 12:14
As the Supreme Court debates the fate of “Obama Care,” we should recall the formal name of the law: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Most of the public debate has been about the cost of health care, losing sight of the urgent…
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 11:50
To improve quality, the most effective hospitals and leaders focus on processes and systems, instead of just lecturing and cajoling their employees and physicians to do better. W. Edwards Deming famously stated that the problem with posters and…
Tue, 11/01/2011 - 14:46
People in health care know that miscommunications are a major cause of errors and potential harm. A curious incident that occurred during game five of the 2011 World Series illustrated this issue in a very public way: A miscommunication set off an…
Mon, 04/11/2011 - 05:30
I was in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and I had a little extra time on my way to the Burbank airport, which meant a rare treat—lunch at the famed In-N-Out Burger. I don’t mean to be that guy who tweets what he eats, but my lunch is pictured at right…