


Japan Gemba Visit: Ashikaga Part 2 – Ogura Metal – using 5S and Lean to "bring smiles to all employees & customers"
Earlier this year I led a Lean study trip to the Japanese town…

Japan Gemba Visit: Ashikaga Part 1 - the city that uses 5S to revitalize and bring joy to the community
Most of you have heard of "5S", but have you ever heard of an…

Japan Gemba Visit: Toyota Memorial Hospital – Part 5: The role of managers and physicians in leading improvement
In the previous four posts in this series about my visit to Toyota…

Japan Gemba Visit: Toyota Memorial Hospital - Part 4: Set challenging goals & engage patients and staff in continuous improvement
Continuous Improvement and the Toyota Way In an earlier…

Japan Gemba Visit - Toyota Memorial Hospital: Part 3 - Toyota Production System principles in action
As I shared in previous posts, Toyota Memorial Hospital (TMH)…

Japan Gemba Visit: Toyota Memorial Hospital - Part 2: "Our human resources are our power"
In the first post in a series of reflections from my visit…

Japan Gemba Visit: Toyota Memorial Hospital - Part 1: The most "Lean" hospital in Japan
Leadership lessons in Toyota City - this time at Toyota Memorial…

Japan Gemba visits: Lean in hospitals and manufacturing - a preview of recent site visits
It's been a busy few weeks for me filled with great learning…

Upcoming Japan Lean 5S Study Trip: "Best of Ashikaga - Lean Management, Rural Winery, Japan's First School and More!
Last year I learned of a town in rural Japan that considers…

Gemba visit: Leadership lessons about kaizen and Medical Quality Improvement at a Japanese hospital
Lean and Kaizen in Healthcare My most recent post about Lean…

Japan Gemba visit: Tokyo hospital with strong commitment to quality improvement Part 3 - Data Transparency, Kaizen and PDCA
Data and measurement are key components to improvement. As I…