Lean Blog Interviews

Joining me for episode #182 are Michael Grogan and Dr. Brenda Dmello, joining me via Skype from Tanzania where they are working together to use Lean to improve health care at the Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT). Michael is Irish born and left his career in the United States to work in Africa (which you can read about in his guest post that I published earlier this month - see link at www.leanblog.org/182 ). In the episode, we talk about their mission to reduce maternal death rates and "needless suffering" by creating "engaging, problem solving managers" as "everything rises and falls with leadership." They are developing leaders who can "stop blaming" and treat people with respect, eliminating the "culture of fear" that we see in far too many organizations around the world. Dr. Brenda says, "I don't think it's ethical to allow change to happen so slowly" and that "clinical skills alone" won't solve healthcare's problems. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog

My guest for Podcast #181 is a good friend, Ron Pereira of Gemba Academy, an outstanding provider of online Lean (and now Six Sigma) education. You might also know Ron from his blog posts (and now, also, a podcast) at LSSacademy.com. I was recently a guest on episode #8 of his podcast series. Ron was also the guest host for episode #143 of my podcast, where he interviewed me with follow up questions from a webinar I did for Gemba Academy on SPC. Before I moved to San Antonio, Ron and used to live just about five miles apart in Keller, Texas and would meet for coffee regularly... but, today, we are talking via Skype. We're talking about his background with both Six Sigma and Lean and about how these methods can be used together. Ron tells a story about a time he used statistical methods to solve something that might have been difficult with standard Lean approaches. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/181 Conflict of interest disclosure: Gemba Academy is a formal partner of KaiNexus, a

Joining me for episode #180 of the Lean Blog Podcast is Dan Florizone (@DanDeputy), who served from 2008 until last month as Deputy Minister of Health in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Dan has just recently transitioned into his new role as the Deputy Minister of Education and he will also focus on the application of Lean principles across all departments of the government. Dan previously had over 25 years of healthcare management experience, including a five-year stint as CEO of the Five Hills Health Region. Dan and I first met a few years back when we were at a Lean healthcare conference hosted by Cindy Jimmerson. I really enjoyed talking with Dan and have closely followed the Lean healthcare transformation work being done in the province. In the episode, we talk about Dan's introduction to Lean, his 2005 visit to Seattle to learn more, and how Lean is part of their "patient first" model. Lean has been a shift from "traditional cost cutting" to a "patient-centered, not provider-centered" approach to

My guests for Podcast #179 are my friends Judy Worth and Tom Shuker, two of the co-authors of the book Perfecting Patient Journeys, which was published earlier this year by the Lean Enterprise Institute. We'll talk about their book, what types of value streams and "extended value streams" are being worked on in healthcare (including "end-to-end" flows), breaking down silos, improving quality and cost as a result of taking time out of the value stream, and more. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/179. If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast.

Joining me for Podcast #178 is Drew Greenblatt, President and Owner of Marlin Steel Wire Products, a manufacturing company based in Baltimore. I was really impressed with Drew's keynote talk at the recent AME Southwest Region conference here in San Antonio.  Drew's company is successfully competing against cheap Chinese imports by using Lean and "theory of constraints" methods, being passionate about serving customer needs, and making a commitment to (and investment in) his employees. Whether you're a manufacturer who is considering "re-shoring" your production (or avoiding off-shoring) or if you're an organization looking to success by partnering with all of your employees, I think you'll find Drew inspiring. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/178, which includes links to the following: - Check out Bill Waddell's recent blog post about Drew and Marlin Wire. - Inc. Magazine article on Drew - Video of Eli Goldratt's last speech, shared by Drew online You can find links to posts relate

My guest for Podcast #177 is a returning guest, Bob Emiliani. In this episode, we're talking about one of his latest eBooks: Nobody Is Exempt From Improvement. Check out our previous podcasts together - Episodes 132, 77, 48, 38, and 30. Bob is a professor at Central Connecticut State University and a prolific author on Lean management. Also check out his new book and blog - "The Lean Professor." http://leanprofessor.com/blog/ For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/177. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to streaming episodes of the podcast via Stitcher: http://landing.stitcher.com/?vurl=leanblog If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at le

Joining me once again for episode #176 is my good friend Norman Bodek, who has been a guest many times here. Today, we are talking about his latest book, The Harada Method the Spirit of Self-Reliance. You can also learn more about the book and Norman's workshops at his website, PCSPress.com. As always, it's great to hear Norman talk about his interests and what he has learned in his trips to Japan, including Harada's work. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/176. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to streaming episodes of the podcast via Stitcher: http://landing.stitcher.com/?vurl=leanblog If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at lean

My guest for podcast #175 is Mike Taubitz of the firm Sustainable Lean and FDR Safety. Mike is a retired GM employee (including a stint as Global Safety Director) and we met at the Michigan Lean Consortium conference in 2011. We quickly discovered our shared interest in Dr. Deming, Lean, and, most importantly, safety improvement. I hope you enjoy our chat about his background and lessons from his career, the integration of Lean practices and safety improvement, lessons from Paul O'Neill and other great topics. Like my dad, Mike is a graduate of the then General Motors Institute (now Kettering University). To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/175. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to stre

My guest for podcast #174 is John Hunter, a long-time friend and fellow blogger - at his Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog and, more recently, as a blogger for the W. Edwards Deming Institute. John has recently published a book through LeanPub.com titled "Management Matters." In this episode, John joins us from Malaysia, where he has been living, and we talk about his quality background (growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, influenced by his dad, William Hunter, Brian Joiner, George Box, Dr. Deming, and others). John also talks about his book and work, why long-term thinking is such a rare commodity, and some of the lessons from Dr. Deming that mean the most to him. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/174. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to s

My guest for podcast #173 is Alan Gleghorn, CEO of Christie Clinic in central Illinois. Alan is one of the keynote presenters at the upcoming Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit, to be held June 5-6, 2013 in Orlando. Alan has been CEO for 14 years, leading Christie Clinic in their Lean journey that started in 2005 when he saw ThedaCare's current CEO Dr. Dean Gruner present at a conference. In this episode, Alan talks about how they got started with Lean, what they learned from Autoliv and the Shingo Prize assessment process (being the first healthcare organization to do that). He also talks about his Summit keynote and how their work with Accountable Care Organizations is leading to better value and outcomes for patients. This podcast was produced in conjunction with the Healthcare Value Network as a continuation of their previous podcast series. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/173. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and j

Joining me for episode #172 is Jerry Bussell, previously a guest on episode #137. Today, we're talking about his recent book, Anatomy of a Lean Leader. I just saw Jerry talk about the book yesterday at the AME spring conference here in San Antonio. Jerry talks about how he defines a "Lean leader" and why President Abraham Lincoln fits into that description. He'll talk about some of the modern CEOs he would put on the list of great Lean leaders, including the owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/172. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to streaming episodes of the podcast via Stitcher: http://landing.stitcher.com/?vurl=leanblog If you have feedback o

My guest for episode #171 is Chad Walters (@leanblitz), a friend and a Lean consultant. He is owner of Lean Blitz Consulting in Augusta, Georgia, a firm focused on continuous improvement for small businesses and sports organizations. I'm a big fan (and frequent commenter) on Chad's blog and he's contributed guest posts here on my blog. He has been cited and mentioned on ESPN.com and CNBC.com. Today, we talk about how Lean principles can apply to sports operations, including the stadiums and events you attend. We'll talk about concepts of value and waste from the sports fan perspective, specific challenges in the sports and entertainment fields and some examples related to baseball (play ball!, the season just started) and The Masters, which starts Thursday. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/171. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast,

My guest for episode #170 is Stephen Parry (@LeanVoices on Twitter), joining us from England. He is a keynote speaker at the upcoming Lean Kanban North America conference in late April. I will also be a main stage speaker at the event. Parry has experience leading Lean transformation efforts in industries ranging from telecommunications, IT, shared services, financial services, and the public sector. He is author of the book Sense and Respond: The Journey to Customer Purpose. In this episode, we talk about his experience, how Lean engages employees to provide value to customers, and the differences between LINO (Lean In Name Only) and Real Lean.

Joining me for Episode #169 is Leonard L. Berry, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Marketing in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. We are talking about his article that he co-authored with John Toussaint, MD Mayo Clinic Proceedings: 201CThe Promise of Lean in Health Care201D (PDF) - which I blogged about earlier. In this podcast, Len talks about his time being embedded in ThedaCare and the lessons he learned there... for example, why is it incorrect to assume that "standardized work" means something stifling? This episode is produced in partnership with the Healthcare Value Network. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/169. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to streaming

My guest for episode #168 is Carolyn McCulley, from CityGate Films, and  she is a co-director and producer of the upcoming documentary called "Breaking the Wall of Silence." Through March 31, you can sponsor this project through the Kickstarter website (with a minimum contribution of $15) and I hope you'll join me as a supporter of this important work. Learn more at www.leanblog.org/168. As Carolyn discusses with me, the film does not just focus on the problems of patient safety and poor healthcare quality... it focuses on the positive steps that MedStar Health (a large system in the Washington DC area) is taking to transform its culture to reduce systemic patient harm. This focus is why she calls this a "hopeful film" as opposed to being alarmist. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/168. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the

My guest for episode #167 is Clare Crawford-Mason, the producer of the landmark 1980 NBC documentary that featured W. Edwards Deming, If Japan Can Do It, Why Can't We? I was fortunate to meet Clare and her husband Bob back in 2007 or so when I was teaching a Lean healthcare seminar near their home in Washington, DC.  Clare and Bob led the efforts to create the "Deming Library" video series. They also created the PBS special "Good News: How Hospitals Heal Themselves" and the companion book The Nun and the Bureaucrat. We've talked for years about doing this podcast and I'm glad to finally being able to share this with you. Early in the podcast, Clare talks about meeting Dr. Deming and the production of documentary, which is a fascinating story and glimpse into his personality and work. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/167. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes

My guest for episode #166 is Julie Bartels, Executive Vice President, National Healthcare Information at the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. In this episode, we are talking about their new program, the Healthcare Clinical Business Intelligence Network (CBIN). Julie tells us about "business intelligence" and how data and transparency relate to Lean improvement efforts. Why is "the devil in the details" in making more data available to payers and patients? Listen to find out. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/166. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to streaming episodes of the podcast via Stitcher: http://landing.stitcher.com/?vurl=leanblog If you have feedback on the podcast, or

My guest for episode #165 is Chris Vogel, President & CEO of Compass Affiliates. I've met Chris before at an LEI Lean Transformation Summit and he is doing a learning session at this year's Summit, to be held March 13 and 14 in Orlando. Chris specalizes in the Development of Lean Leaders and Administrative Lean. He has over 15 years of Lean Administrative and Process Improvement experience. During his 15 years at Wells Fargo, Chris led and used Lean to transform a division of Wells Fargo with 1,200 staff members. In our discussion, we'll talk about applying Lean to settings outside of manufacturing, including mortgage processing and tbe government. I think this discussion will help reinforce the idea that Lean is Lean and Lean leadership is Lean leadership, regardless of the setting. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/164. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier epis

My guest for episode #164 is Rachelle Schultz, CEO of Winona Health (based in Winona, Minnesota). Rachelle was a part of the CEO panel that I moderated at last year's Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit and her comments on leading a health system's Lean transformation were well received. In this discussion, she says, "Everything I do has to drive Lean," as we talk about how her system is using Lean in these challenging times and what the impact has been - quality, satisfaction, financial. This episode is produced in partnership with the Healthcare Value Network. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/164. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to streaming episodes of the podcast via Stitcher

My guest for episode #163 is Dr. Gregory R. Johnson, the Chief Medical Officer at Parkview Health in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In this episode, we talk about how Parkview is using Lean to cope with today's challenging environment, how Dr. Johnson encourages Lean thinking among physicians, and the role of standardization in medicine. Dr. Johnson says Parkview is moving toward "having everyone operating in a Lean way, all 8200 co-workers" instead of just doing "Rapid Improvement Events." This episode is produced in partnership with the Healthcare Value Network. Dr. Johnson and I also talk about Parkview's participation in the Network, including hosting a "gemba visit" by other members. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/163. You can find links to posts related to this podcast there, as well. Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information o