Lean Blog Audio: Practical Lean Thinking, Psychological Safety, and Continuous Improvement

Episode page with links and more info

I'm very happy to announce the release of my new Mistake-Proofing course, available NOW through Karen Martin and TKMG Academy.

You can buy the course individually at TKMGAcademy.com for $129. Volume discounts are available for large teams or your entire workforce (for more information, email [email protected]).

The course is also part of the wonderful collection of courses in the all-access annual subscription. The annual price of $529 goes up significantly at 11:59 pm CDT on May 31st, so act now for the best value pricing.

Other TKMG Academy instructors in the series include Karen Martin, Elisabeth Swan, Mike Osterling, Tracy O'Rourke, Brent Loescher... and more.

And if you subscribe to TKMG Academy, you can participate in Karen's "Community of Practice" meeting with me on Wednesday, June 26th.

Blog post

I love Steve Spear‘s emphasis on a Toyota-based Lean model of:

“See, Solve, Share”

See problems, solve problems, and share what worked as countermeasures. That's the ideal, and it's powerful where it exists.

At Toyota, and companies like it, there's an understanding that speaking up about problems leads to a constructive response from leaders. 

That's not always true at other companies that are starting or attempting their “Lean Journey.”

The Psychological Safety that might be taken for granted at Toyota must be actively cultivated in a company before continuous improvement can really take root, let alone take off.

I think the model could also be stated as:

“See, Share, Solve, Share”

Blog post

Research by Ethan Burris shows that the top two reasons employees choose to keep quiet in the workplace are:
1️⃣ Futility
2️⃣ Fear
Fear of getting in trouble is a big problem. But there are also many workplaces where people say, quite literally, “I'm not afraid to speak up, it just isn't worth the effort.”
That's the Futility Factor.
Please answer this poll question via LinkedIn. And I'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment here on the blog post or on LinkedIn.

The blog post

You don't find the root cause of a problem in a conference room.

OK, so we've gotten away from the whiteboard. Now what?

You might not even KNOW the root cause by thinking and talking out where the work is actually being done.

That's one of the most powerful lessons I've learned from former Toyota people I've been able to work with.

Blog Post

Professors Robert H. Hayes and William J. Abernathy have harsh words about a common, if not typical style of American management:

“…an overdependence on analytical detachment – what they call ”managerial remote control.”

They say it is an approach that exalts financial analysis, not line operations. It rewards executives who see their company primarily as a competing set of rates of return, who manage by numbers and computer printouts.

Further, they say, it is a seductive doctrine that promises the bright student a quick path to the top and that piles its rewards on executives who force through impressive short-term performance, at indeterminate cost to long-term health.

Fearing any dip in today's profits, American companies keep research and technology on short rations, skimping the investment critically needed to insure competitiveness tomorrow.”

These are warnings about:

Is that from a recent article that I've read? Yet another article about Boeing's troubles?

No. It's a 1982 article in the New York Times. Hat tip to Tom Ehrenfeld for sharing it with me.

The blog post

It's interesting to observe a hospital process (or lack thereof) when a family member needs surgery. I had the opportunity to do so one day last week. I originally shared this on LinkedIn as a post and real-time updates.

Thankfully, the clinical care seemed to be good, and that family member is recovering well from the outpatient procedure.

But, the experience could have been better. I'm critiquing the process and the apparent culture, not the individuals involved. They are part of a system, which includes their job role design, training, and supervision.

Blog post with links

The other day, I read about the passing of Donald E. Peterson, who was a key CEO for Ford Motor Company in the 1980s (from 1985 to 1990).

From the Detroit Free Press:

Former Ford CEO Don Petersen, who spent 41 years with automaker, dies at 97

Read the blog post

How often do you hear executives blaming employees, including frontline workers, for different problems or poor performance?

I don't think that's a good look when leaders do that.

Leaders are responsible for the system, especially senior leaders. Even though they are part of a system, they have more freedom and more ability to change systems that ultimately drive most performance.

A blaming leader looks at low productivity numbers and blames “lazy workers.”

A blaming leader sees mistakes and blames “careless workers.”

A blaming leader sees employees choosing not to speak up about problems and blames “cowardly workers.”

Read the blog post

I recently spoke and facilitated at a health system's quarterly leadership forum event on the topic of “Psychological Safety as a Pre-Condition for Continuous Improvement.” It was very well received, and I'm very passionate about the need for leaders to help every team member believe that it's both safe and effective to speak up in the workplace.

Psychological Safety plus Problem Solving is a very powerful combination.

Let me know if you'd be open to a brief conversation on collaborating for your next leadership forum or another executive event. I'm keen to share insights that can further empower your team and take your improvement journey to the next level.

Learn more here and let me know if this would help your healthcare organization (or any organization outside of healthcare):

Transforming Healthcare Leadership: Cultivate Psychological Safety for Unprecedented Continuous Improvement

Read the blog post

I have been really enjoying this book, released in 2021, by Kiyoshi “Nate” Furuta, a retired Toyota executive: Welcome Problems, Find Success: Creating Toyota Cultures Around the World. I bought it a year ago and wish I had started reading it sooner!

Furuta is the retired former chair and CEO of Toyota Boshoku America, Inc. — an automotive parts supplier to companies including Toyota and General Motors.