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Can Lean Manufacturing Put an End to Sweatshops?

Harvard Business Review

Producers in less-developed countries compete by keeping costs low. It involves replacing traditional mass manufacturing with “lean manufacturing” principles. Traditional mass manufacturing is based on principles of “Scientific Management” that date back to the 19th century. Insight Center.

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5 Ways to Retain Employees with Lean Management Practices

Chart Your Course

Now take a look at your job descriptions and make sure the responsibilities you’ve developed will allow newly hired employees to grow and succeed with your company, while adding value to your bottom line. The second premise of lean management is a bit more dynamic. Other Lessons From Manufacturing. Remove Wasted Resources.

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Toyota’s Management History

Deming Institute

In 1979: A two-year management capability improvement program was implemented with the department and section managers specifying topics for operational improvement. And some people still today think of these ideas as limited to manufacturing operations.

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The Failure of “The Livonia Philosophy” at my GM Plant

Deming Institute

General Motors wasn’t my ideal workplace after having read Deming’s Out of the Crisis and learning a bit about Lean manufacturing in college. The Livonia Philosophy (as written, not practiced) also sounds like Lean in the goal of utilizing of all people’s skill and creativity, as we practice in the Kaizen model.

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How Chief Data Officers Can Get Their Companies to Collect Clean Data

Harvard Business Review

Cleaning up data downstream is expensive and not scalable, because data is a byproduct of business processes and operations like marketing, sales, plant operations, and so on. This requires close collaboration with the operating units and IT. The same manufacturer analyzed the historical performance of its large IT projects.

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An Obstacle to Patient-Centered Care: Poor Supply Systems

Harvard Business Review

My research shows that problems with the supply of equipment and materials — which I call “operational failures” — disrupt care and waste up to 10% of nurses’ workdays. Through a series of observational and experimental studies, I uncovered several reasons for the occurrence of operational failures. Why Do Operational Failures Persist?

System 8
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Breaking the Death Grip of Legacy Technologies

Harvard Business Review

Organizations develop processes through repeated problem solving. The Future of Operations. automakers took decades to adopt lean production methods despite the obvious benefits from increased productivity and lower work-in-process inventory. Managers constantly try to fit new market needs to existing processes and routines.