Here is the latest Gemba Glossary video focused on the word gemba. If you missed any of the preview Gemba Glossary videos be sure to check them out:
Once the video begins to play select 480p for a higher quality video and 720p for HD.
Gemba Glossary: Kaizen
July 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Here is the latest Gemba Glossary video focused on the word kaizen. If you missed any of the preview Gemba Glossary videos please be sure to check them out:
And to access more than 165 other lean training videos please visit Gemba Academy’s Complete Lean Package.
Once the video begins to play select 480p for a higher quality video and 720p for HD.
An Interview with Best Selling Kaizen Author Masaaki Imai
July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Here is a small portion of the recent interview I did with Masaaki Imai, the founder of the Kaizen Institute and author of the best selling book KAIZEN: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success.
In this video you’ll hear about Mr. Imai’s personal encounters with Kiichiro Toyoda and Taiichi Ohno… including a surprise story about Mr. Ohno rarely (if ever?) told before. Be sure to listen to the end as that is where Mr. Imai let’s the “cat” out of the bag!
This 5 part 40+ minute interview can be purchased on DVD for $97 here. The full interview is also included in the Complete Lean Package which currently consists of 165 lean training videos and continues to expand each month.
We also captured additional video of Mr. Imai conducting a gemba walk and delivering a 45 minute lecture on Kaizen Leadership… all of this video footage will be included in the Complete Lean Package in the near future at no additional cost.
Click “480p” at the bottom of the video for a sharper picture or 720p for HD!
Great, here comes Mr. “Oh – No!”
June 28, 2011 By 12 Comments
As I mentioned in a recent article I had the great honor of meeting Mr. Masaaki Imai, the founder of the Kaizen Institute and author of several lean related books.
As it turns out, Mr. Imai knew Mr. Taiichi Ohno – the chief architect of the Toyota Production System – very well as he escorted Mr. Ohno to several different countries including the United States
Here comes Mr. Oh – No!
Among his many stories, Mr. Imai explained how strict Mr. Ohno was with the managers and leaders he worked with at Toyota. This firmness actually brought many challenges for Mr. Ohno… to put in bluntly Mr. Ohno didn’t win any popularity contests on the gemba, or the place the work is done.
In fact, Mr. Imai explained that managers would often mumble under their breath that Mr. “Oh – No!” as in “oh no, here he comes again,” was headed their way and to prepare for intense scrutiny and questioning.
Mr. Imai went on to say that this strict management style is very hard to come by these days, especially in Western companies, since being liked and seen as friends is more important than challenging the status quo and demanding all associates continue to improve.
Can this style work in the West?
With this said, since most readers of LSS Academy are from the West I’m curious to hear your thoughts and opinions on this “strict” style of management.
Can a Western manager survive as a strict sensei who constantly challenges their associates and demands improvements? Or do you feel this strong management approach simply cannot work in today’s workplace?
What do you think? Do you have a Mr. or Mrs. Oh-No! in your organization? If so, are they effective in driving change?
Need your Website Design Help!
June 26, 2011 By 11 Comments
Hi LSS Academy friends! I need your help.
We’ve recently launched a new Gemba Academy website and are looking for feedback.
The “Product” page is a particularly important page on the site so I’d like to get your input.
Specifically, what is the first thing your eye is drawn to click on when you look at this page?
Please let me know in the comments but do the test yourself before you read what others say lest you become biased!
I really do appreciate your help!
My Week with Mr. Masaaki Imai
June 24, 2011 By 7 Comments
Shortly after graduating from college, many moons ago, my Father gave me a book he promised would change my life. The book was called “KAIZEN: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success” and was written by a man named Masaaki Imai.
I had heard the word kaizen before and had a general idea of what it meant… but little did I know the book would indeed change my life.
You see, over the past 15 years I have been practicing various forms of continuous improvement – lean, six sigma, and TOC to name a few – and now earn my living running Gemba Academy, a company focused on teaching others about the power of kaizen!
And while the last decade has been a blast the last few days just might have been the most exciting of all as I finally had the great honor of meeting Mr. Masaaki Imai in person.
Kaizen Institute & Gemba Academy Partner Up
For those that don’t know, the Kaizen Institute, which was founded by Mr. Imai, is now a co-owner of Gemba Academy as a result of their recent merger with Gemba Research.
This relationship affords Gemba Academy an awesome opportunity to spread Mr. Imai’s wisdom and insight through our online and DVD based lean training system. We started the process this past week by videotaping Mr. Imai on an actual Gemba Walk.
We also captured a live lecture where Mr. Imai spoke about the topics of lean leadership and kaizen.
And, finally, I was able to sit with Mr. Imai for 45 minutes to chat about the time he spent with the Toyoda family and other lean giants such as Mr. Taiichi Ohno. The picture to the right is a sneak peek behind the Gemba Academy production scene! Lots of bright lights are involved!
Ohno’s Fat Cat!
One quite interesting (and funny) story Mr. Imai shared was how Mr. Ohno – who was quite the strict sensei while at gemba – was also quite fun loving outside of work… apparently Mr. Ohno even had a giant “fat cat” that he would carry around like his own child inside his home.
A Humble Man
The thing that I most taken aback by was how kind and humble Mr. Imai was (and is). Many of the so-called lean gurus of our time are not always the most humble and kind… in fact, some of them are flat out arrogant and hard to listen to. Mr. Imai is not like this at all which made meeting him all the more enjoyable.
We have several hours of video to work through and will be releasing some of it for free so stay tuned for that. Of course, if you want to see all the footage of Mr. Imai we’d love to welcome you to the Gemba Academy family.
Gemba Glossary: 7 Wastes
June 10, 2011 By 2 Comments
In this edition of the Gemba Glossary we focus on the 7 Wastes. Click where it says “240p” to select a higher definition version of the video if you’d prefer.
To access more than 150 additional lean training videos please visit Gemba Academy where you can register for a free Lean Starter account.
What Challenges Are You Facing?
June 7, 2011 By 9 Comments
A quick question… what challenges are you currently facing as it relates to building a culture of continuous improvement within your organization?
These challenges can be related to people, processes, or anything else in between.
Feel free to post anonymously if you’d like.
Gemba Glossary: 5S
May 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Gemba Academy has started a new series of free videos called the Gemba Glossary. These short, normally less than 2 minutes, videos will offer definitions and explanations of key lean terms.
The first video in this series is focused on 5S. You can view all of these videos as they are released by subscribing to Gemba Academy’s YouTube page.
If you are reading this post via email or RSS reader you may need to click through to the site to view the video.
Total Productive Maintenace (TPM) Overview
May 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If your company relies on machines and/or equipment of any kind to satisfy customer demand chances are extremely high that Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) could benefit you.
With this said, I’m excited to announce that Gemba Academy has just released their newest course focused entirely on Total Productive Maintenance, usually referred to as TPM.
In this course Mike Wroblewski, of Gemba Consulting and the Kaizen Institute, explains what TPM is, and isn’t, while also covering topics such as the 6 Big Losses and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
With the release of this new course Gemba Academy now offers 160 lean manufacturing training videos covering topics such as The Kaizen Way, 5S Workplace Productivity, Dealing With the Seven Deadly Wastes, Practical Problem Solving, Standard Work, Leader Standard Work, Transforming Your Value Streams, The Seven Quality Control Tools, Quick Changeover: The SMED System, and Lean Lingo Explained.
Finally, here is the first video of the TPM course. If you’re reading this post via email or RSS reader you’ll likely need to click through to the website to view the video.
