I’ve seen poster displays many times, in many places, but it never really struck me that not only are they are a very effective method of sharing knowledge, they also support staff engagement. Poster displays as part of Kaizen and Continuous Improvement processes in places like Ricoh Telford and the IdeasUK annual conference have always attracted me, but I’ve not seen […]
Expatiation, Innovation, Adaptation, Continuous Improvement and Hyperbole. It’s dictionary time
If hear another person loudly proclaim that their incremental improvement to an existing activity, process or product is ‘INNOVATION!’ I will scream (quietly to myself…..). Small enhancements are not innovation. To be fair the language is a bit confusing and I’m not alone. This article on the British Quality Foundation blog by Paul Sloan draws […]
Three Very Different Organisations, Five Common Words. IdeasUK Employee Engagement Network Meeting.
Last week I had the great joy of attending an IdeasUK Employee Engagement network meeting in Cardiff, hosted by the Wales Audit Office. The three organisations presenting workshops were incredibly different yet, I picked up on five common themes: Longevity, Trust, Evidence, Belief and Passion. Question: Are these the key elements of success for any […]
Why don’t Car Dealerships use the Lean Thinking from the Manufacturing Process?
Please drop your car off between 8-10am and collect between 4-6pm… This is on the heels of recent posts about customer services. This morning, in the pouring rain and a howling gale, I dropped my mother’s car off at the garage for repairs. I hadn’t been there for about 7 years but was instantly reminded […]
Denial and resistance versus self evaluation….. how to approach continuous improvement.
This is a tale of good and bad, a bit of a shocker. It’s all about denial, ignorance and resistance versus balance, self-evaluation and an effective approach to improvement. Let’s start with the bad…. After seeing Gemba Mat in action at Ricoh I was (ever so slightly over) enthusiastic and felt the need to tell […]
Ricoh Gemba Mat, the best of Ohno Circles, Gemba Walks and Employee Engagement.
Gemba Mat is an improvement tool which combines the ideas behind Ohno Circles, the Gemba Walk and enhances them through employee engagement. I think it is incredibly effective, not just as an improvement tool but also in how it engages and develops people. I saw Gemba Mat in use at Ricoh in Telford during an […]
Gemba Walks, Kaizen the Elvis way…..”walk a mile in my shoes”
This is a prelude to a post on the Gemba Mat improvement technique I saw used an IdeasUK networking event at Ricoh in Telford. Gemba Mat is a beautifully straightforward and effective improvement and employee engagement approach that is worthy of a build-up so I’ll leave you in anticipation. Gemba is a version of the […]
Employee Engagement = Kaizen + Passion in the West Midlands (Ricoh Telford to be exact)
A while back when I was writing Kaizen! Toast v Beer, Who Wins? I came across this quote “continuous improvement is the result of continuous involvement”. I couldn’t remember where and ended up searching absolutely loads of websites offering advice on Kaizen, Lean manufacturing and employee engagement, including a few where you can buy it […]
Kaizen! Toast v Beer………$500 update!
If you’ve read Kaizen! Toast v Beer, Who Wins? you’ll get what this is all about. Here’s an opportunity for fame and fortune for anyone with; a decent video camera, some willing buddies and a love of Kaizen (plus toast, but I don’t think that’s compulsory). The Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire), originators […]
5s and improvement – divergent views?
I recently posted about the use of 5S and visual management in hospitals as a method for organising work and improving processes. 5s has evolved from Japanese manufacturing techniques and being widely applied to all sorts of activities, including public services. It’s an interesting area and I’m learning a lot about how it’s being used and […]
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