Add value to the organization by developing your people and partners
1.Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the Kaizen philosophy, and teach it to others.
2.Develop exceptional people and Kaizen teams who follow your company's philosophy.
3.Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve using Kaizen methods.
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on January 28, 2009 at 5:26pm —
No Comments
Continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning
1.Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (Genchi Genbutsu)
2.Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options; implement decisions rapidly;
3.Become a learning organization through relentless reflection (Hansei) and continuous improvement (Kaizen).
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on January 28, 2009 at 5:23pm —
No Comments
"Be Prepared"
Sound familiar?
It's the Boy Scouts "marching song".
Using the Kaizen methodology as outlined in a previous blog entry lets you "be prepared".
Walking in stupid every day - challenging yourself, seeking new perspectives, trying out new ideas - can be daunting. Uncertainty can cloud judgment and fear can stop us in our tracks. Here are 5 tips to help you, your team, your organization take risks without falling off the cliff.
1. Do your homework.
You need to know as much as possible…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on January 28, 2009 at 5:12pm —
No Comments
Kaizen events work best when the process is easy to understand; is highly visible and satisfies a business need; is a stable, repeatable process, and resources are available to focus on the problem(s) you're trying to solve. Kaizen Events should not turn into brainstorming sessions. It is imperative that the leader of the Kaizen event develop a very structured agenda with objectives and defined deliverables. Having a charter would also help. Assembling as much information about the process befor…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on January 28, 2009 at 5:04pm —
No Comments
I like the comment attributed to Will Rogers about "It's not what you don't know that's the problem, it's what you know that just ain't so." Even though we are human, getting trapped in such assumptions is particularly dangerous for many consultants. How can we avoid making these mistakes? By using the steps of the Kaizen method previously posted. It's as simple as that.
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on January 28, 2009 at 4:50pm —
No Comments
They are all related.
You cannot have one without the other and be successful in your efforts to achieve a state of "continual improvement" (Kaizen).
Kaizen is the method by which all of the others come about.
It takes "Teams" of dedicated people working together to achieve the desired results for each of the initiatives. But Kaizen is the way to go!
Using the ten step Kaizen method already talked about will help to keep the Teams on track, focused, and enable them to attain their objectives whi…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on December 21, 2008 at 9:08pm —
No Comments
LEVEL OF THE ORGANIZATION THEME POSSIBILITY
Department & Section Managers Difficult Themes such as: Rate of Productivity
Start-up Losses
Speed Reduction
Supervisors Medium Degree of Difficulty such as: Failures
Defects
Minor Line or Work Stoppages Reduction of Setup Times
Staff Members Difficult Themes Requiring
Special Knowledge and Skills One-Shot Setup
Quality Production Development of New Methods
Lengthening of Blade Life
Start up Losses
Project Team Themes Difficult & Comprenensi…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on December 21, 2008 at 8:59pm —
No Comments
Inventory takes on a lot of different identities within a manufacturing company, depending on who's doing the looking. Accounting sees inventory as an asset. Controllers sees it as a liability. Production managers consider it as safety net. The materials manager finds it a tightrope. One common aspect to inventory is that everybody agrees that holding it can be costly. The following are a dozen ways to reduce inventory, suggested by supply chain consulting firm S-G Systems Consulting & Train…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on December 21, 2008 at 8:28pm —
No Comments
Change - Weathering the Stress of Change
Change is good! We know it and accept it as a premise but this phrase becomes empty and tiresome when all we know is change. In today's world, change comes at us like a "F-5" Tornado - hurtling objects at us so fiercely that we have to hide in the basement for protection and wait for the winds to subside. When leaders don't make the proper preparations, we find ourselves (and our team) blown more towards "stressed and apathetic" rather than "happy and ent…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on November 22, 2008 at 4:00pm —
No Comments
Had the opportunity to discuss Kaizen (the process of continual improvement) with two colleagues the other day. One of the gentlemen was a teacher (Sensei) and the other was an attorney who works with start up companies in the hi tech arena. The attorney is primarily focused on getting the start up company management into business with all of the legal trappings required to keep them from “harms way”. This entails obtaining: their charter, completing the incorporation, obtaining the correct liab…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on November 15, 2008 at 7:00am —
No Comments
Everyone wants to make more money! Businesses want to make more profits. I can help! Why? Because I know Kaizen! Kaizen is the process of continual improvement. I use the Kaizen method of focused continual improvement and technology transformation to improve your people skills, business processes and best of all to improve your profits. I train your people so they are able to use Kaizen and continue the improvement processes even after I am gone.
I work with any company, small, medium or large,…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on November 8, 2008 at 7:00am —
No Comments
I keep talking about Kaizen (the process of continual improvement) and what it will do for you and your business. Remember that Kaizen (which is the first of the Two "K's" in my title) is the "means to achieve the corporate strategy not the strategy". The Kaizen philosophy has been adopted by countless businesses throughout the world. The fact that people of all business levels can take part in Kaizen -- from the CEO to the mail clerk -- makes it successful and effective. Implementation is achie…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on November 2, 2008 at 11:30am —
No Comments
Before You Can Learn To Use Kaizen You Must Be Capable of “Learning”
I don’t know about your clients but some of mine have extreme difficulty in just learning something new. I like to think that people are intelligent enough to understand the methodologies of Kaizen but this is not always the case. Just as individuals have disabilities when it comes to perceiving, understanding and applying knowledge, so too do organizations. If I am unable to establish a method of “learning” for the people so t…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on October 26, 2008 at 11:54am —
No Comments
The Kaizen facility operates on the premise that every individual and their ideas are an asset to the company. Managers need to recognize and understand that a worker's mentality is very important in how effectual a business plan really is. Kaizen-savvy managers champion every employee's role in the workplace in order to promote positive behavior and improved morale.
An environment where mutual respect and positive recognition are fostered will prompt open communication. Improvements can only be…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on October 16, 2008 at 2:49pm —
No Comments
Some Kaizen sensei's use what they feel is a "standard" format for implementing a Kaizen event.
My preference is as follows:
Select the process, production line, equipment or issue to be improved.
Organize the project team(s).
Understand the present situation.
Develop the Kaizen theme(s).
Map out the Kaizen plans.
Map out & evaluate the analysis & countermeasure(s).
Begin the implementation of the Kaizen.
Confirm the results of the Kaizen.
Implement measures to “kill the snake”.
Kick of…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on October 13, 2008 at 3:00pm —
No Comments
I understand that organizational communication is a challenge. And I really try to ensure that my clients truly understand what I am actually saying when it comes to “change”. Change is sometimes difficult. So I asked them repeatedly, “are you sure that I am making myself understood?” Normally the response was, “absolutely”. So why did I wonder when my “advice” was completely ignored or partially followed? I really didn't know whether it was my advice or the way my client related what I said to…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on October 4, 2008 at 7:13pm —
No Comments
The use of Kaizen creates general overall improvement and the elimination of excess and waste (lean) through gradual daily change and modification.
What is kaizen?
"Kai" is an idea of change or the action to correct
"Zen" means "good"
My first exposure to Kaizen as a Japanese business philosophy was in 1970 while on a trip to Japan to visit Noritake the people who are famous for their ceramic chinaware. I was visiting Noritake in order to negotiate a contract with them for ceramics to encapsul…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on September 28, 2008 at 11:31am —
No Comments
I recently ran across a blog entry by Stuart Cross (he spells Stuart the right way) in the UK that asks the question, "Are You a Red Kite Leader?". Cross explains that a red kite is a type of hawk that circles until it finds its prey and pounces. This kind of opportunistic predator is very successful at catching its dinner, just as opportunistic executives and consultants are successful at seizing the next big Kaizen opportunity that presents itself.
As Cross-sees it, there are three kinds of de…
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on September 19, 2008 at 6:07pm —
No Comments
Kaizen is the evolutionary process of continual improvement in the areas of people skills, business and manufacturing processes that leads to improved profits.
Continue
Added by Stuart L. Slippen on September 10, 2008 at 8:59pm —
No Comments
