Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership
Business:Management
MIT professor, author, and consultant
http://www.leanblog.org/386
Joining me again for Episode #386 is Steve Spear, who reached out to share recollections of one of his most influential teachers and mentors, Hajime Oba, who passed away earlier this month at 75.
I never had the chance to learn directly from Mr. Oba, but he is legendary in Lean circles and I know many people who were deeply influenced by Mr. Oba. I hope to interview more of them in the near future. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Oba's family, friends, and colleagues.
Here is a classic 2001 WSJ article that features him:
"How Does Toyota Maintain Quality? Mr. Oba's Hair Dryer Offers a Clue"
In today's episode, Steve talks about meeting Mr. Oba and how he learned from him as a PhD student. One story that Steve shares was about sitting at his desk, thinking about a problem, and Mr. Oba told him:
"Don't think -- do!"
Hajime Oba
You'll hear more from Steve talking about the need to learn by doing and to test changes in an experimental fashion. It's not just "do" --- it's Plan Do Check Act (or Plan Do Study Adjust or even Plan Test Study Adjust).
Jeff Hunter on "Patient-Centered Strategy"
Jess Orr, Lessons from Toyota and Beyond
Steve Shortell, The Impact of Lean on Healthcare - Center for Lean Engagement and Research (CLEAR)
David Meier, A Toyota Guy on Making Bourbon with a Continuous Improvement Flavor
Mike Grogan, Personal Lean and Lessons Learned
Andre DeMerchant, "You Can't Cut Your Way to Success"
Mark Valenti, Motivational Interviewing
Mark Graban, "The Toyota Way" in Healthcare
David Meier, Lessons and Wisdom from Toyota
Craig Deao, Effectively Engaging Employees
Katie Anderson on Japan: Standard Work, Customers, and
Joe Swartz, "Champions of Change" in Supply Chains
Tracey & Ernie Richardson, The Toyota Engagement Equation *
Joe Swartz, 10+ Years of Kaizen at Franciscan
Billy Taylor, Lean Manufacturing Leadership, Part 2
JJ Villarreal, Ed.D., #Lean in Education
Dr. Zeev N. Kain on #Lean and Clinical Variation
Ted Toussaint & Sarah Steinberg, #Lean & Innovation in Healthcare
Clay Linkous, Studer Group Principles & #Lean
Billy Taylor, Lean Manufacturing Leadership, Part 1