


Japan Gemba Visit: Lean Thinking in Government – Part 2 – Kaizen and Kaikaku to improve service to elderly constituents
In the first post in this series, I shared how the leaders…

Japan Gemba Visit: Lean Thinking in Government - Part 1 - Kaizen, Kaikaku & PDCA to improve customer service
Less than a month before my family wrapped up our time in Japan…

Japan Gemba Visit: Ashikaga Part 4 - Eco-R, using 5S and kaizen to create a sustainable world and joyful society
As I've written about in earlier posts, last spring I led…

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 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…

What does "Lean" mean in Japan? Are Japanese hospitals practicing "Lean"?
As a Lean healthcare practitioner and coach, it has been one…

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…

Japan Gemba visit: Tokyo hospital committed to quality improvement - Part 1 - Conversation with the President
Two weeks ago, I visited a hospital in Tokyo that is one of…