In the KaiZone Friday Favorites, I present my top ten favorite articles from the last two weeks in the world of Lean, continuous improvement and beyond.  With leading content from the world’s foremost improvement authors and future Lean leaders, I do the research so you don’t have to!

10.  A Simple Question without an Easy Answer by Steve Bell.  “When is the last time someone asked you the simple question: “What is Lean?”  It happens to me quite often, and I’m surprised by how difficult I find it is to answer in a simple way. Why is that, I wonder?”

9.  The #Lean Goals that Matter by Mark Graban.  “Do you have clear SQDCM goals for 1) your organization as a whole and 2) for your department? Do you have clear measures in each of these five areas of Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale? Do you update and review them daily or weekly instead of monthly or quarterly? Do those goals and measures drive your improvement work?”

8.  Honesty, Integrity and Respect in a Culture of Continuous Improvement by Allan Wilson.  “With honesty and integrity as primary core behaviors, respect is earned and the opinion and guidance offered by leaders is highly valued and utilized by the teams. The end result is a culture of Lean Agile Development accomplished by teams focused on continuous improvement in the development of quality products of high value to the customer.”

7.  Reinforcing Lean Behavior Through Visual Management, an interview with Doug Bartholomew and Mark Hamel.  “As a key component of Lean and lean management systems, visual management offers tools and practices that support adherence to standards, quick identification of abnormalities, daily problem solving, organizational alignment, and–when integrated with leader standardized work–the daily routine of lean leaders.”

6.  Where Did the Kaizen Event Come From? by Jon Miller.  “Where did the kaizen event come from? This excerpt from chapter 2 of Creating a Kaizen Culture explains the origin of the kaizen event, and the role of Kaizen Institute in popularizing it.”

5.  An Exercise in Observation: Practicing Your Genchi Genbutsu by Matthew May.  “One of my all-time favorite thoughts is by UK-based urban designer Ben Hamilton-Baillie, a master of designing shared space intersections: ‘If we observed first, designed second, we wouldn’t need most of the things we build.’  The Japanese phrase for what Ben is talking about is genchi genbutsu, which roughly translated means “go look and see.'”

4.  It’s About Best Practicing by Mike Rother.  “I believe that scientific thinking is not just for scientists, but an essential and widely-applicable life skill for everyone, which anyone can develop through practice. Sure, some guitarists will be professionals on stage and some will be amateurs strumming around a campfire, but they all will be playing those same six strings and making music.”

3.  The Undeniable Logic of Lean Management by Bill Waddell.  “Lean transformation has to begin with management transformation.  There is no getting around that basic fact – no matter how much we wish it weren’t true.”

At this point, I’ve got to tell you, I could not pick a single winner for this week’s Friday Favorites.  For the first time ever, and for very unique contributions, two posts will share the top spot!  

The first of this week’s favorites is a series of posts from The Lean Edge.  A question that I – as well as many others – often wrestle with was posed to some of the top Lean thinkers on the planet, and their responses did not disappoint.  Check out the question and perspectives below.

1A.  Kaizen Events: Good Thing or Bad Thing?

• Kaizen Events Are Mainly a Tool to Open the Minds of Leadership by Jeff Liker
• Kaizen is Not an Event, It’s About Everday-Everybody-Engaged by Tracey Richardson
• Kaizen Every Day, Everywhere, by Everyone by Sammy Obara
• What About Kaizen Events by Daniel T. Jones

Last, but certainly not least, is a post from one of my absolute favorite Lean thinkers and authors, Bruce Hamilton.  In a video that words cannot describe, Bruce and the GBMP crew give us all some good cLEAN fun! I am still rolling on the floor over this one.  Thanks, Bruce, for the many, many years of learning and laughs.   

1B.  Addicted to Lean by Bruce Hamilton.  “Leading change is marathon not a sprint. Sometimes you just have to pace yourself, give your mind and body a break and do something frivolous and fun to maintain your balance.”

Do you have an article that you’d like to share with The KaiZone community?  Post it in the comments section below.  Have a great weekend, friends!