As Tony said in the podcast it is not a book filled with ideas from PHD’s. It is a book filled with authors that have CEO, V.P after their names and companies from Boeing to Atlas Air and BzzAgent to Ogilvy. What I found interesting in the book is the diversity of the content. I called it a book of short stories! Great reading, Great knowledge of information.

Anthony G. Bennett (Washington, D.C.) has worked in marketing for over 22 years, including as an international marketing research analyst with Union Camp (now International Paper), general manager/vice president for Hunt-Marmillion Public Relations (now Ogilvy), Special Assistant promoting the first Bush administration’s National Energy Strategy, and marketing consultant to small companies and national organizations. He now teaches marketing at Georgetown University.

Karen Martin is a seasoned and highly rated Lean practitioner and educator who specializes in applying Lean and developing continuous improvement cultures in service, government, knowledge work, research, and office settings. She was one of the first operations design experts to focus 100% on applying Lean principles and tools in non-manufacturing environments. Her expertise also includes a keen understanding of customer value, which she honed while serving in sales and marketing roles, and legal and regulatory issues, which she developed while working in highly regulated and litigious environments. She has provided support to organizations in a broad range of industries including: manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, government/military, engineering design, information technology, construction, oil and gas production, insurance, distribution, and publishing.

One of the first questions I asked Karen in the interview:

Joe:  So when you say that they run numerous Kaizen Events or actually, I noticed one thing on your website where you say a typical organization of a hundred people, only have four Kaizen Events a year. So, a Kaizen Event is different than a continuous improvement process or your weekly meeting for continuous improvement process. What is the difference?

Karen:  Yes. Good question. So, Kaizen Events are this formalized, structured approach to making rapid improvement, whereas, what the goal is of any organization is to develop a Kaizen culture. In the Kaizen culture, improvement happens continuously. It happens without the need for those formalized process that involves a tremendous amount of planning, and really, quite a bit of effort. In fact, Kaizen Events can be quite painful for an organization because of the number of people they have to pull off their regular jobs and sequester them for two to five days. They’re really only reserved for the most intense types of improvements that need to be made.

What some organizations do, and one of the criticisms of Kaizen Events, is that they’ll get hooked on Kaizen Events and only make improvement during a formal event. That’s not at all the intention of a Kaizen Event. So, I view them as a good way to indoctrinate an organization into the improvement process and teach the skills.

In fact, you’ll hear Kaizen Events referred to as Kaizen Workshops and Kaizen Blitz. The workshop term reflects the deep learning that occurs in a Kaizen that if it’s well facilitated. So, it is true that there’s a risk that organizations can become dependent on Kaizen Events and use them for all?improvement and never really evolve into that Kaizen culture.

But, I do believe that it’s a very good first step. Often, for many, many years, I think, non?manufacturing organizations, in particular, can benefit from Kaizen Events. This is to get the culture embedded into the DNA of the organization, this whole concept of continuous improvement.

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How is your book different than other business books?

There are three aspects of my work that I think make it unique in the highly competitive business book market.

First, it is a practical ‘how to’ book not just a theoretical approach. My book shows the reader how to implement the concepts that I advocate in very simple terms. It is a book at “playing field” level, not at the 50,000 foot level. From my observation, most other business improvement literature discusses the theoretical appeal of taking a particular course of action but doesn’t really give the reader a specific roadmap to follow to successfully implement them in their organization.

Second, the ideas I present to the reader have been ‘road tested’ in the real world. I have successfully implemented them in businesses varying in size and complexity. As experience shows there is a big different between an idea that conceptually should work in an organization and an approach that actually does work in the human dynamics that pervade every human enterprise. My readers can be confident that if they choose to go down the BE DiFFERENT path success awaits!

Third, my book is different from others in that the BE DiFFERENT ideas I advocate include all of the critical functions of an organization. I offer ideas to thrive and survive in the areas of business strategy development, marketing, sales and customer service. Most books that I have seen focus on a specific area of expertise, like marketing for example, and give the reader a vertical slice of high level guidance. My book, on the other hand, provides in handbook fashion detailed guidance in each of the critical functions of an organization; possible only because of my broad background as a successful business executive.

I hope you enjoy the Business901 podcast.

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In March of 2009, Dr Bahri wrote Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture, published by the Lean Enterprise Institute. He lectures nationally and internationally to share his experience on implementing lean management in the dental practice.

An excerpt from the podcast: “I really come at it from a perspective of alignment and focus first. On one hand, you’re helping leaders learn a different model of leadership so that they can understand how to engage the people on their teams, empowering them. That is usually a pretty foreign thought, but as we work with the leaders, they begin to understand that and use it. On the other hand, we need to look at if you’re empowering a person, I always feel strongly about the fact that that person needs to have some understanding of where the company is going. What is the expectation?”

Dave brings a wealth of experience and expertise to The Center as well. The focus of his consultancy is on the human factor. His emphasis includes leadership coaching, team development, leading change, Lean leadership, creating a continuous improvement culture and strategic planning. Dave’s passion comes from a belief that a successful Lean implementation centers on a leader’s ability to achieve a clear vision and direction for his/her organization, then bring it to life through a process that insures each level of the company has the opportunity to understand, then restate the vision and direction as it relates to their area of responsibility, creating alignment throughout the organization. This process creates an understanding of what needs to be done and will empower your people to accomplish it.

Galsworth established Quality Methods International (QMI) in 1991 as a consulting, training and research firm, specializing in the Visual Workplace. For the next 15 years, she worked with companies to create and proof a series of methods and formulate them into a single, sustainable framework that have come to be known as the Technologies of the Visual Workplace.

A Shingo Prize and Malcolm Baldrige Examiner, Galsworth has helped companies all over the world to accelerate their rates of transformation, strengthen cultural alignments and achieve long-term, sustainable bottom-line outcomes. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies around the world.

This Business901 podcast; Be Productive, Be Visual is the second of a two part series.

Galsworth established Quality Methods International (QMI) in 1991 as a consulting, training and research firm, specializing in the Visual Workplace. For the next 15 years, she worked with companies to create and proof a series of methods and formulate them into a single, sustainable framework that have come to be known as the Technologies of the Visual Workplace.

A Shingo Prize and Malcolm Baldrige Examiner, Galsworth has helped companies all over the world to accelerate their rates of transformation, strengthen cultural alignments and achieve long-term, sustainable bottom-line outcomes. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies around the world.

This Business901 podcast; Be Productive, Be Visual is the first of a two parts.

Mike is also the co-author of The Kaizen Event Planner: Achieving Rapid Improvement in Office, Service and Technical Environments. a practical, how-to guide for planning, executing, and sustaining rapid improvements in office, service, and technical environments. Geared to continuous improvement professionals and leadership teams, this book provides the methodology and practical tools for generating measurable results, while building a motivated workforce and creating a culture with an integrated focus on customer value, quality, cost, and service. Mike is an expert facilitator for a Kaizen event, contact him through his website www.mosterling.com

Drew is currently Managing Director for Change Management Associates. CMA provides Lean Enterprise Consulting and Organizational Development services to industrial and service organizations representing a wide variety of industries including: Healthcare, Transportation, Distribution, Education, Financial Services and Manufacturing. Drew first became involved in the development and delivery of innovative Business Improvement programs while working for General Electric in the 1980s. In 1990, Drew left GE to form CMA. Since then, he has utilized his diverse experience to help develop creative solutions for the companies with whom CMA works, in order to improve their business performance.

In 2004, Drew co-authored a book titled, “The Complete Lean Enterprise: Value Stream Mapping for Administrative and Office Processes ”. The book won a 2005 Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence in Manufacturing Research. In 2008 he published a book titled, “Value Stream Mapping for Lean Development: A How-To Guide for Streamlining Time to Market ”. This book demonstrates the application of Lean Thinking to the third primary value stream, “problem solving”.

Lewis has been championing the Lean business philosophy as an industry consultant since 1992.  He has thirty-five years experience in operations management, engineering, and Lean transformation facilitation in a variety of industry environments including printed circuit boards, plastics, automotive, foundry, metal fabrication, furniture manufacturing, packaging, and visual merchandising.  His experience and expertise will ensure a successful transition to Lean at your business and help position your company as a key player in the global marketplace.  Jim is a contributing editor for a trade publication and the author of Learn to be Lean, and Story of a Lean Journey

There is not a lot of fluff in this conversation; Jeff is direct and to the point about the uses of Lean Six Sigma. In industry today, there is a fair amount of discussion on Design for Six Sigma but very little if any on Design for Lean Six Sigma. Jeff is sold on the DFLSS process and the customization that Xerox has done with the methodology.

As a managing partner of ESG Consultants, Michael coaches executives in obtaining exceptional performance through using the lean tools, principles, and management attitudes. His main coaching technique is the “Real Place Visit,” where he helps senior executives to learn to see their own operational shop floors, teach their people the spirit of Kaizen and draw the right conclusions for their business as a whole. He has assisted companies in their lean transformations in various fields such as manufacturing, engineering, construction, services, and healthcare.

Glenn has over twenty years of professional experience, he has managed and assisted organizations through a variety of improvement strategies and tactics, ranging from organization-wide Performance Improvement eff orts to facilitation of Value Stream Mapping or Kaizen events. A Six Sigma Black Belt, he utilizes tools and methodologies from Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, and traditional process improvement techniques to improve operations.

Related Information: Value Stream Mapping

Aqua Porter has been with Xerox since 1984 and has held a variety of positions including Engineering, Marketing, Product Development, Purchasing, and Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. She is a senior manager with extensive experience in all phases of product development and delivery, and is adept in building strong teams who deliver exceptional business results.

Xerox has made a major commitment to using Lean Six Sigma tools and methodology - both to drive improvements in our own business and to deliver measurable results for customers. Our unique, disciplined approach involves analyzing business processes and identifying ways to eliminate both errors and unnecessary steps. Xerox Global Services looks for ways to deliver improvements quickly and focus on leveraging your existing IT investments. From streamlining paper-choked workflows to automating labor-intensive functions, the results can be remarkable.

Our discussion centered around The Ultimate Improvement Cycle: Maximizing Profits through the Integration of Lean, Six Sigma, and the Theory of Constraints show you how to draw the best from Lean and Six Sigma by employing principles drawn from the Theory of Constraints. He says, this approach will ensure that your effort is focused in the right place, at the right time, using the right tools, and the right amount of resources. This multi-pronged approach addresses cost accounting, variation, waste, and performance measurements. But most importantly, it focuses your organization on the right areas to optimize.

I enjoyed many of his thoughts, especially on Value Stream Mapping and his description of focusing on the matter at hand, the constraint.

I had Chad H. Pollitt on the Business901 podcast discussing the effects of Social Media on SEO and what it can do for you. Chad has a unique view on what he terms successful SEO. He is not after achieving #1 or #2 ranking on Google for his customers, he is after achieving the entire 1st page for his customer. Listen to the podcast and find out some SEO tips on how you might be able to start on this path. Also we discussed, Chad’s upcoming workshop on September 24th, 2009. Chad will be holding the Fort Wayne Chamber Business Brown Bag on “Cost Effective Marketing Using Social Media.” If you are thinking of participating in a workshop on social media, this podcast is a good listen on how to evaluate Social Media workshops.

Chad H. Pollitt list of accomplishments include Internet Marketing Masters Certification from the University of San Francisco’s prestigious School of Business and Management, BS in Entrepreneurship from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.  He has won multiple awards in sales/marketing and sales management while working and residing in Fort Wayne, IN.  Chad is also a Lieutenant in the Indiana Army National Guard and a decorated veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Chad currently works for Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc. as a Web Technology Consultant and Internet Marketing Manager and will be featured in The Wall Street Journal Sept. 16th.

Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc. was founded in 1997 as a web design agency with a focus on providing professional website solutions for businesses while helping them promote their business to the vast global audience on the Internet. Now with a more diverse clientele and with clients nationwide, Digital Hill Multimedia has grown to become a full-service Internet Marketing Agency.

Disclaimer: I do not employ or have any affiliation with Digital Hill Multimedia but thought that their ideas about Social Media and SEO were interesting. By the way, if you do not think you can own an entire page on Google, do a search for “Fort Wayne Marketing Coach.”

He is an internationally known author, speaker and lecturer on the topics of Theory of Constraints, Drum Buffer Rope, Cost Accounting, Organizational Measurement, and Critical Chain Project Management.  He is the author of The Manufacturer’s Guide to Implementing the Theory of Constraints, published by APICS/St. Lucie Press, in English, Spanish and Japanese and Projects in Less Time, published by BookSurge in English & Japanese.

Mark discussed the integration of Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma and how they significantly improve bottom line results. Mark is the president of Pinnacle Strategies and is located in Dallas, Texas.

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by the Shingijutsu consulting group, who are considered 2nd tier consultants to the father of The Toyota Production System, Taiichi Ohno . Tom has been implement these Lean Principles for over 20 years and is currently a Principal Partner in Lean Value Solutions International, he has built a successful practice over the past 11 years by leading several organizations to a lean enterprise Implementation strategy. Tom was also instrumental in forging relationships with other providers which assist in bringing his clients the latest in technology in terms of operational shop floor analytics, which assist in accelerating the Lean improvement efforts. One of his most proudest moments, was that LVSI now has one of the original founding members of the Shingijutsu consulting group, Sensai Akira Takenaka, as a LVSI Senior Consultant.

]]> http://business901.podbean.com/2009/08/27/lean-value-solutions/feed/ Tom DeForge discusses the disciplined approach and analysis tools taught to him during his 8 year tenure by the Shingijutsu consulting group, ... Tom DeForge discusses the disciplined approach and analysis tools taught to him during his 8 year tenure by the Shingijutsu consulting group, who are considered 2nd tier consultants to the father of The Toyota Production System, Taiichi Ohno . Tom has been implement these Lean Principles for over 20 years and is currently a Principal Partner in Lean Value Solutions International, he has built a successful practice over the past 11 years by leading several organizations to a lean enterprise Implementation strategy. Tom was also instrumental in forging relationships with other providers which assist in bringing his clients the latest in technology in terms of operational shop floor analytics, which assist in accelerating the Lean improvement efforts. One of his most proudest moments, was that LVSI now has one of the original founding members of the Shingijutsu consulting group, Sensai Akira Takenaka, as a LVSI Senior Consultant. lean, six sigma, manufacturing, software, training, Joe Dager No No http://business901.podbean.com/2009/08/17/fast-track-decision-making-a-rapid-problem-solving-method-discussed-on-business901-podcast/ http://business901.podbean.com/2009/08/17/fast-track-decision-making-a-rapid-problem-solving-method-discussed-on-business901-podcast/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:35:06 +0000 business901 Lean Six Sigma http://business901.podbean.com/2009/08/17/fast-track-decision-making-a-rapid-problem-solving-method-discussed-on-business901-podcast/ On the Business901 podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy Riebling, Director of Operational Performance Solutions and a Master Black Belt for the North Shore- LIJ Health System. Operational Performance Solutions is a division of the Health System’s Corporate University located at the Center for Learning & Innovation. North Shore-LIJ Health System headquartered in Great Neck, NY is the third largest nonsectarian health system in the country

Change acceleration process is a philosophy & tool set designed to help overcome cultural barriers to change by creating a shared need, shaping a vision, & mobilizing commitment.  Fast track decision making (North Shore’s version of GE work-out) is a rapid problem solving approach with team involvement and in-meeting decisions.  It is a catalyst for change focusing on the process to drive improvement and empowering the people closest to the process to develop & implement appropriate solutions.

Nancy will be presenting Taking Six Sigma and Lean beyond projects in Healthcare at The Global Lean, Six Sigma and Business Improvement Summit. This summit represents the largest gathering of leading experts and senior executives across various industries who are passionate about achieving process and business excellence.

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