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).
Luke Szymer on Agile, Testing Hypotheses, and Process Behavior Charts
Alan Robinson on Continuous Improvement for All and Practical Innovation in Government
Torbjorn Netland, PhD on Company Production Systems, Lean & Technology, and More
Lisa Yerian, MD on the Cleveland Clinic’s Improvement Journey and How Lean Got Them Through COVID
Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, on Eliminating Fear and Increasing Joy in Work
Just the Lean Talk 2 -- Mark Graban & Jamie Flinchbaugh Discuss Lean Supply Chains
Skip the Lean 101 Training? Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh
Lauren Hisey on Bridging the Gap Between People, Process, and Technology
Sumitra Vig on Lean & Quality: First Time Right or Next Time Right?
Michael Parent on ”The Lean Innovation Cycle” -- Human-Centered Design and More
Michele Smith on Winning the People Side of Lean Transformation
Nicole Tschierske: Lean Reduces Stress and Burnout in the Workplace
Crystal Davis on Courageous Leadership and Pandemic Supply Chains
Dan Pink’s Favorite Mistake -- and the Power of Regret
John Dues on Continual Improvement, Deming, and Process Behavior Charts in Education
Interview with Bella Englebach on The Edges of Lean and More
Prof. Elliott Weiss on Steph Curry Tweaking His 3-Point Shot and Not Reacting to Noise in Other Settings
Steel Toes and Stilettos, an Interview with Kathy Miller and Shannon Karels
Retired RAF Pilot Peter Docker, on Leadership From the Jumpseat
Cindy Young, PhD on Knowledge Management and Lean