In today’s session Brittany Ogden and Shaun Barker, who oversee the Shingo assessment process will talk about the Shingo Challenge—what it is, who’s eligible, and how to prepare.

The Shingo Prize is a prestigious recognition of organizational excellence, grounded in cultural transformation and principle-based behavior. Unlike traditional assessments, Shingo examiners evaluate how deeply the Shingo Guiding Principles are embedded in daily operations. Brittany and Shaun walk us through the eligibility process, including the results documentation.

We also highlight the importance of early conversations—some organizations begin planning two years in advance. Whether or not you’re aiming for an award, the Shingo Model offers a powerful framework for continuous improvement. For those ready to challenge, there are currently three levels of recognition: Bronze, Silver, and the Shingo Prize. Be sure to check the session link for the Shingo Guidelines, which are referred to heavily throughout the session.

Shingo Guidelines: https://usu.box.com/s/soon7kiuivk7kdftg80zpcyz6cfh8a2b 

To learn more about the Shingo Model, please visit https://shingo.org/shingo-model/. 

Today’s podcast explores how leaders can thrive in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) environment by embracing adaptive, principle-based leadership rooted in the Shingo Model™. Drawing on insights from the book Leading Excellence, the episode introduces the concept of the “5 Hats of the Adaptive Leader”—Inspire, Coach, Teach, Support, and Direct—as practical tools to guide leaders in responding effectively to different situations. It emphasizes the importance of understanding one’s own core belief system, as well as those of others, to foster emotional intelligence and ideal behaviors. Leaders must shape culture intentionally, align systems to drive desired behaviors, and connect every individual to a shared purpose. By consistently reinforcing principles like Respect Every Individual and Lead with Humility, leaders can create workplaces where people flourish and organizations thrive. The discussion offers a roadmap for developing culture, empowering teams, and leading with purpose—delivering sustainable, profitable results in a human-centered way.

To learn more about the Shingo Model, please visit https://shingo.org. 

To view the webinar associated with this podcast, please visit https://youtu.be/3aHx4aAvBEA. 

In today’s episode, we’re exploring a foundational yet often overlooked element of continuous improvement: psychological safety. It's the belief that team members can speak up—about mistakes, concerns, and ideas—without fear of punishment. And it’s not just a “nice-to-have”—it’s a must-have for any organization striving to learn and grow.

Drawing insights from The Mistakes That Make Us and the powerful principles of the Shingo Model, we’ll unpack how leading organizations like Toyota create cultures where mistakes become opportunities—not for blame, but for learning and improvement.

To learn more, please visit https://shinog.org/articles and https://www.markgraban.com/shingo2025/.

Achieving the Shingo Prize or reaching the highest levels of the Shingo Behavioral Scale is a remarkable accomplishment—but it’s not the final destination. The real question is: what comes next?

In this episode, we explore the shift from maturity to mastery in organizational excellence. Maturity brings stability and best practices, but mastery breaks boundaries, redefines industries, and sets new standards. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese concept of Takumi—a lifelong pursuit of perfection—we’ll uncover three key steps to move beyond sustaining excellence and into pioneering innovation.

If you’re ready to push past benchmarks and redefine what excellence truly means, stay tuned.

To learn more, please visit: shingo.org/articles

In this podcast, Robert Martichenko, Shingo Publication recipient and chair of TrailPath Workplace Solutions and founder of LeanCor Supply Chain Group will discuss how we need to truly believe that respect and improvement in our work can be guiding principles for organizational decisions, leadership behaviors, and team member participation. Listeners will learn how an employment environment is elevated through a clear commitment to every team member inside the organization. 

To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org/articles. 

In this podcast, Peter Barnett, Director of Executive Education at the Shingo Institute will cover how coaching can transform your organization’s culture and drive lasting change. In the fast-paced world of continuous improvement, simply teaching problem-solving skills isn’t enough. Coaching is the key to empowering employees, fostering accountability, and unlocking their full potential.

We’ll explore effective coaching techniques that build problem-solving capabilities, encourage collaboration, and create a culture of learning. Learn how to coach for skill development, reinforce new behaviors, and keep teams aligned with organizational goals.

To learn more about the Shingo Model, please visit https://shingo.org.

Handout: https://usu.box.com/s/zgxk45bogrmr4uhcjsgavvoz6t9fyduq

In this podcast Cheryl Jekiel, a Shingo Faculty Fellow, redefines sustainable learning by addressing why traditional training often fails. With more than 25 years of experience, she highlights key challenges like vague goals and misaligned leadership. Cheryl introduces a practical tool that clarifies expectations, breaks skills into steps, and aligns them with organizational systems. She emphasizes active engagement, coaching, and practice to bridge the gap between training and performance. She emphasizes that by fostering communities of practice and embedding new behaviors into routines, organizations can build lasting capabilities. Attendees gain actionable insights to create a culture of learning that drives resilience, collaboration, and meaningful, measurable results.

To learn more about this topic, please visit: https://shingo.org/building-sustainable-capabilities/

Handout 1: https://usu.box.com/s/m7hj0ylo7otcuzkxffz22si6z1p1wuio
Handout 2: https://usu.box.com/s/olb8nod1vcfq0q4j6jgi2ajqne211zma

In this podcast we will be learning from Jay Timms, a seasoned organizational psychologist on "Unleashing Employee Potential: The Key to Organizational Success." In this session, Jay will explore the critical disconnect between how leaders perceive their company culture and how employees actually experience it, shedding light on the significant impact this gap has on productivity and talent retention. Drawing from his expertise, Jay will discuss why many organizations still rely on outdated management principles that prioritize system efficiency over human potential. He'll reveal how this misalignment is costing businesses and explain the importance of understanding the brain-engagement connection to foster a more engaged, motivated workforce. During the podcast, you'll discover five key pillars of employee engagement—personal care, individual development, mutual trust, barrier removal, and meaningful work—and learn actionable strategies to implement in your own organization. Jay will also provide practical steps to create personalized growth plans, develop Key Behavioral Indicators and conduct effective one-on-one meetings to boost engagement. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights on how to unlock your team's full potential and create a thriving, successful workplace.

In the podcast, Jay refers to a document. You can download the One-on-One file here: https://usu.box.com/s/i4sxey92szh13tczjy6f51ngfzv2dpkg 

To learn more about the topic presented, please visit Shingo.org/articles and click on the “Unleashing Employee Potential” article. 

In this podcast we explore the core idea that behavior change, not belief change, drives Lean transformation. Arnoud Herremans and Norbert Majerus explain how altering the environment to support new behaviors fosters Lean thinking.

Using examples from Goodyear's Innovation Centers, the session demonstrates how coaching leaders and creating collaborative systems led to significant improvements. Practical strategies like Lean problem-solving, gemba walks, and role modeling will be discussed, showing how to build a Lean-friendly culture that promotes sustainable results.

Attendees will gain tools to create environments where Lean behaviors—and ultimately, Lean thinking—can thrive.

 I hope you enjoy the podcast. To learn more about this subject, please visit Shingo.org/articles. 

The Shingo Model promotes a culture of respect for every individual, with leadership rooted in humility. Gary Peterson of O.C. Tanner exemplifies this through his leadership, which has been the subject of research by Helen Zak, who is the Research Director at the Shingo Institute, Peter Hines, who is a Shingo Faculty Fellow and Shingo Academy Member, and Juliana Salvadorinho, who is working with the Institute as a research assistant. Their study focuses on O.C. Tanner as a Shingo Prize recipient site and investigates Gary's leadership effectiveness over the past 37 years, emphasizing four key leadership systems at the company. While traditional organizations focus on specific leadership tasks—like gemba walks, strategy deployment, and coaching—O.C. Tanner goes deeper by prioritizing the cultivation of effective behaviors. This begins with hiring individuals who exhibit the right behaviors and fostering mindsets that allow these behaviors to thrive. The company emphasizes two key mindsets: the Growth Mindset, which views all experiences as learning opportunities, and the Outward Mindset, which encourages actions that benefit others. Gary models these principles through his micro-behaviors, including his language, tone, body language, and emotions, which consistently convey positivity, trust, and collaboration. His inquisitive communication style and consistent non-verbal cues build a culture of trust and alignment. What distinguishes O.C. Tanner is how Gary’s approach has been adopted by the entire leadership team, ensuring a unified mindset and leadership style throughout the organization.

To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org/articles.