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Tag Archives: Key concepts

The Lean-Fitness Analogy

The Lean-Fitness Analogy is a teaching aid originally developed in the Lean Enterprise Research Centre for use in lean oriented courses for practitioners and employees. It presents a comparison of going lean with getting fit and aims to communicate the ‘essence’ of lean thinking and the challenges of going lean.... Read More

Economies of Scale vs. Economies of Flow

Introduction Often when I’m teaching, I find myself skulking amongst the middle ground of contrasting ideas. Sometimes I’m even perilously perched atop of a massive fence dividing two opinions. Sometimes I’m in the middle ground of contrasting ideas, sat on the fence of indecision, whilst rocking back and forth muttering... Read More

A Strength Based Approach to Lean

Introduction Never before has there been such a strong call for a culture of continuous improvement in the private and public sectors across the global economy. In these challenging times the appetite to discover how to do this better has never been greater. Process improvement has been developed over the... Read More

Creating Organisational Cultures of Learning – Linked Learning Loops

“The trouble with us is that we’ve got no corporate memory.” I’ve heard this statement in various forms from a variety of different people I’ve worked with over the years. The starkest version came from a senior officer in a police force. He was referring to the fact that his... Read More

Let’s Ban the Eighth Waste

From the Seven Wastes to the Multiple Wastes of Lean Thinking. The Original Wastes Taiichi Ohno famously identified the Seven Wastes of the Toyota Production System that have become part of the bedrock of lean knowledge and fundamental to lean improvement initiatives. Acronyms such as TIMWOOD regularly appear in handbooks and... Read More

A Fractal View of Lean

“…or why Broccoli is good for you!” Introduction Some contend that lean is at a tipping point in its life cycle. Will it wither away as just another business improvement fad, or will it thrive, survive and grow and bring its full potential to bear on business, the public sector... Read More