Lead Change Blog

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

We got our black belts in six-sigma; words or acronyms like Kaizen, PDCA, TQM, QC and ISO became everyday parts of our work language. Strategy guru Gary Hamel wrote in the Harvard Business Review: “Corporations around the world are reaching the limits of incrementalism. The benefits were significant.

Six Sigma 150

Six Sigma TQM Airlines Wilde 150

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

Kaizen, the Japanese management practice of continuous innovation, can be applied to knowledge work.

Kaizen 18

Kaizen Innovation Company Management 18

Sales Wolf Blog

JUNE 11, 2010

.  The Management Improvement Carnival naturally features posts on how improve your management skills and systems within your organization, but also has a special focus on how this can be accomplished using lean management practices such as Kaizen, Six Sigma, and even Hansei.   Ready to improve your management skills? .

Management 133

Management Six Sigma Human Resources Kaizen 133

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 30, 2016

Brilliant, hard-working machines will require job reviews every bit as much as lazy and toxic humans. He believes that organizations will have to design robots-at-work with ongoing performance reviews and improvements in mind. How should smart machines be programmed — or trained — to offer up new insights or kaizen?

Review 8

Review Kaplan Kaizen Performance Review 8

Tim Milburn

DECEMBER 14, 2010

The Japanese call this “kaizen&# or continuous improvement. . · Making minor changes instead of major ones. The classic line of “not wanting to throw the baby out with the bathwater&# is part of the revise perspective. It sees improvement as a direction or trajectory, getting rid of waste or unproductive practices along the way.

Kaizen 68

Kaizen Download Sports Learning-by-Doing 68

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 24, 2011

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Brad Power for the Harvard Business Review blog (March 7, 2011). To read the complete article, check out other articles and resources, and/or sign up for a free subscription to Harvard Business Review’s Daily Alerts, please click here. * * * When they set out to [.].

Process 85

Process Review Blog Article 85

Deming Institute

JANUARY 5, 2017

I remember a colleague, also in her first year out of MIT, feeling crushed when her boss at Dell told her in her first annual review, “You deserve a ‘1’ (the highest rating), but nobody is allowed to get a ‘1’ in their first year, so you get a ‘2.’” He is the founder and lead blogger and podcaster at LeanBlog.org , started in January 2005.

Deming 46

Deming TQM Kaizen Crisis 46

QAspire

APRIL 14, 2013

"Sei" means to look back upon, review, and examine oneself. Kaizen complements Hansei and ensures that lessons are executed. Also Read: Using Kaizen for Employee Engagement and Improvement. - – - – -. According to Wikipedia , “Han" means to change, turn over, or turn upside down. "Sei"

Kaizen 149

Kaizen After Action Review Quality Bottom-up 149

QAspire

JANUARY 27, 2013

This book also touches upon applicability of essential lean concepts including Gemba and Kaizen in building a high performance organization. Organizations are not machines – they are fundamentally and irreducibly made up of people.”. Not only that, the book has impressive research behind it and the research sources are very generously shared.

Organization 147

Organization Kaizen Review Bottom-up 147

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 15, 2011

Though charmingly valuable, Kaizen and suggestion boxes are 20th-century productivity anachronisms. The bank loan officer or nurse or UPS/FedEx delivery person who isn't using technology to trim their cognitive burden or get the same process result 25 seconds faster is less likely to get a raise or a glowing job review.

Kaizen 14

Kaizen Bottom-up Efficiency Technology 14

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

Companies that follow the Toyota Production System use Kaizen events to improve productivity on the manufacturing line. Both Kaizen events and Agile sprints are investments in innovation and human capital productivity.

Human Capital 15

Human Capital Kaizen Agility Energy 15

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 23, 2011

To show how different it is, we have special words to describe them such as " Master Black Belt ," " DMAIC ," " Kaizen ," " A3 ," and " SIPOC.". By reviewing the history of its process initiatives, the company made its journey visible and discussable. For example, you could use "continuous improvement" instead of "kaizen."

Six Sigma 14

Six Sigma TQM Kaizen Balanced Scorecard 14

Harvard Business Review

MAY 8, 2012

Six Sigma , Kaizen , Lean , and other variations on continuous improvement can be hazardous to your organization's health. While it may be heresy to say this, recent evidence from Japan and elsewhere suggests that it's time to question these methods. Admittedly, continuous improvement once powered Japan's economy.

Six Sigma 18

Six Sigma Kaizen Govindarajan Telecommunications 18

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Harvard Business Review. Thus even when some individuals are courageous or crazy enough to push for change, they will be resisted by the majority. If they are not, then they were not really pushing for change. Further Reading. HBR Must Reads on Innovation. Innovation Book. Add to Cart.

Creativity 8

Creativity Team Kaizen Innovation 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 17, 2012

Call it "customer kaizen.". Today's Web 2.0 Their continuous innovation is contingent upon their customers' continuous improvement. The overarching theme and common denominator to all of this is that these entrepreneurs and enterprises were relentlessly investing in the capabilities of their customers.

Human Capital 15

Human Capital Supply Chain Kaizen Innovation 15

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 4, 2013

Finally, it has Kaizen events where both salaried and hourly employees gather together for a week, mapping processes in order to solve problems and streamline operations. The Kaizen events create not only fresh ideas but also a spirit of learning and cooperation through the company.

Technology 8

Technology Innovation Kaizen Chief Executive Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 17, 2012

Call it "customer kaizen.". Today's Web 2.0 Their continuous innovation is contingent upon their customers' continuous improvement. The overarching theme and common denominator to all of this is that these entrepreneurs and enterprises were relentlessly investing in the capabilities of their customers.

Human Capital 13

Human Capital Supply Chain Kaizen Innovation 13

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 5, 2015

Organizations that care about Kaizen , or the process of continuous improvement, and facilitating effective feedback will make “accs” a way to make sure that their people have the power to (self) improve.

Kaizen 8

Kaizen Self-aware Construction Compliance 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 21, 2016

Another clear difference is that these kaizen efforts, unlike their Japanese predecessors, are more customer-in than internal-process-out. All these firms have R&D facilities and formal innovation processes, but they’re seeking levels of individual engagement that, frankly, had not existed before.

Innovation 8

Innovation Company Kaizen KPI 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 29, 2017

The Japanese employees, while already fluent with Japanese concepts such as kaizen (improvement) and omotenashi (hospitality), struggled to become proficient in English. These challenges differed depending on people’s backgrounds and location. Two groups had the steepest learning curve in particular.

Succession 15

Succession Globalization Tacit Knowledge GDP 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 23, 2011

In fact, many critics point to change management processes, Kaizen initiatives, and the like as evidence that the Hierarchy can do change. A market opportunity for tablet computers, for example, is more of a distraction than an opportunity to the hierarchy of a giant PC manufacturer focusing on this quarter's earnings targets.

Organization 15

Organization Kaizen Budgeting Short-term 15

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

An idea can change an entire industry and ideas, from kaizen to the balanced scorecard , continually transform the way we work and lead our businesses. Second, management matters. It has become fashionable in some places to mock management.

Blue Ocean Strategy 15

Blue Ocean Strategy Management Christensen Balanced Scorecard 15

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 7, 2011

Let's review the distinguishing features of what each religion has to say about sustaining improvement. The manufacturer has since introduced quality techniques (" kaizen " events), as well as Lean strategy deployment methods and tools. Six Sigma zealots say "Belts," lots of training, and performance measures are what matter.

Six Sigma 15

Six Sigma BPM Process Hammer 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 13, 2013

While the nuances of "product" and "offer" or "customer" and "client" hold profound implications in English, truly understanding the meaning of, say, " kyosei " or " kaizen " in Japanese or " jeitinho " in Portuguese/Brazilian can also be sources of innovation inspiration.

Ulrich 9

Ulrich Kaizen Innovation Competitive Advantage 9

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 27, 2014

Many change leaders use Six Sigma , Kaizen , and Lean for continuous improvement. Envisioning and articulating the future — this is the part of the process that involves setting goals that build toward the larger transformation. Planning how to accomplish the change. Implementing the change. Change leaders work across boundaries.

Middle Management 14

Middle Management Six Sigma Taylorism Taylor 14

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 9, 2012

Excellent sales forces continuously improve capability around every sales force effectiveness driver through "kaizen." Breakage in any single spoke creates weakness in the wheel, leading to suboptimal results.

Kaizen 8

Kaizen Incentives Market Segmentation Efficiency 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

The best lean manufacturing , agile programming , and kaizen workshops I've attended almost always reflect this translational sensibility: the trainers/facilitators move as efficaciously as possible to get their charges to collaborate with and educate each other. Is the translation a conceptual/technical straitjacket?

Innovation 15

Innovation Workshop Lean Manufacturing Kaizen 15

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 11, 2013

It''s that faith in a kind of kaizen -in-all-things that has led to innumerable technological, organizational, and social advances in the corporate world. In general, the business community is obsessed with what Michael Lewis once termed the "new, new thing."

Kaizen 10

Kaizen Fashion Participative Technology 10

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 3, 2011

The cause was not malfeasant individuals; it was inadequately designed and operated systems of care delivery.

Health Care 15

Health Care Kaizen McKinsey Operations 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 5, 2016

Organizations need to move away from externalizing traditional “kaizen” and move toward innovatively internalizing how customers define and describe successful UX. Which user experiences consistently generate the best returns? Delightful user experiences are delightful.

Levitt 8

Levitt Disaggregation Kaizen Call Center 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 28, 2015

A kaizen—continuous improvement—ethos is one thing. Then we would take this knowledge and incorporate it into our yearly curriculum review; if important enough, we’d make the change within weeks. .” In other words, training divorced from excellence is mere compliance. Lead by Example.

Training 8

Training Education Incentives Leadership 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 30, 2015

As an MBA, I had become fascinated with Kaizen and other process-improvement techniques. Sir Dave : To give you a bit of background, when we first started out, the top of the Olympic podium seemed like a very long way away. Aiming for gold was too daunting.

Kaizen 8

Kaizen Critical Success Factor Competitive Advantage Brainstorming 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 2, 2013

Kaizen, Japanese for "continuous improvement," is Toyota''s self-described business model. The question going forward, Kelleher says, is what will happen when Facebook''s two constituent bases — its users and its investors — grow further and further apart as user enthusiasm wanes and investors make more money.

Henderson 8

Henderson Banking Kaizen Morale 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 21, 2016

The leadership team at Norwegian put in place a kaizen (continuous improvement) system to gather ideas from the front line on how to improve and streamline operations and processes everywhere in the organization, and created extensive discussion forums and recognition for the best ideas. Make constant improvement a focus.

Company 10

Company IPO Price Loyalty 10