This issue of The Management Brief explores problem-solving—the heart of continuous improvement—through three distinct perspectives: lean expert Art Smalley, MillerKnoll leader Jill Miller, and Toyota veteran Sal Sanchez. From troubleshooting to building team capability, their stories show how problem-solving strengthens systems, leadership, and culture. #Management #Leadership #LeanThinking #Download #EBook
Lean Enterprise Institute
Research
Boston, MA 112,652 followers
Making Work Better Through Lean Thinking and Practice. #LeanThinking #Leadership #LearningOrganization #Management
About us
The nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) helps companies and people make things better through lean thinking and practice. We also help managers and executives develop the leadership behaviors that sustain lean enterprises. LEI was founded in 1997 by management expert James P. Womack, Ph.D., as a nonprofit research, education, publishing, and conference company with a mission to advance lean thinking around the world. We conduct research projects, teach courses, hold lean management seminars, write and publish books and workbooks, organize public and private conferences, and offer custom training & consulting. lean.org that offers free content including: Case studies Articles Podcasts Webinars Book excerpts Forms & Templates Workshops (online and in-person) on basic and advanced lean management principles and tools including: value-stream mapping for production and nonproduction environments, pull production and leveling, logistics, standardized work, product development, strategy deployment, change agent skills, lean culture change, problem solving, lean leadership, and more. Training & consulting for organizations including, getting started assessments, leadership development, custom training, and enterprise transformation. Conferences, including the annual Lean Summit. #Lean #FutureofWork #LearningOrganization #ContinuousImprovement #Management #Leadership #PeopleDevelopment
- Website
-
http://www.lean.org
External link for Lean Enterprise Institute
- Industry
- Research
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Boston, MA
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1997
- Specialties
- How to start, sustain, and spread a lean transformation, Lean workshops, including on-site training, Book and workbooks on lean management tools and concepts, Lean management case studies, webinars, articles, Lean Transformation Summit, held every March, Consulting and enterprise transformation, Leadership development, and People Development
Locations
-
Primary
Get directions
Boston, MA 02210, US
Employees at Lean Enterprise Institute
-
Jim Benson
Personal Kanban | Collaboration Equation | Lean Coffee I help you find strategies to clear the interruptions, bottlenecks, and toxicity so work can…
-
Katie Anderson
✨ Empowering Leaders to Build High-Performing Cultures | Katalyst™ for Leadership Excellence |🎙️ Chain of Learning® Podcast | 🎤 Keynote Speaker |…
-
Karen Wilhelm
-
Michael Orzen
President at Mike Orzen & Associates, Inc.
Updates
-
🚨 New special edition crossover episode alert! 🚨 On Sept 29, LEI coaches Jim Morgan & Mark Reich join Josh Howell to dive into: 🔹 LPPD 🔹 Hoshin Kanri Together, they’ll show how these enterprise-wide practices reshape leadership, innovation, and growth. 🎧 Streaming on Apple, Spotify, and everywhere you listen. #LeanThinking #LPPD #HoshinKanri #Leadership #Transformation #Podcast
-
Can AI make you a better problem-solver? 🤔 Tyson Heaton explored this with Toyota veterans and lean leaders Art Smalley and John Shook in a recent webinar. We discussed how AI can act as a coach to amplify human capability, not replace it. Click in to watch the webinar's recording. #lean #ai
-
In this edition of The Design Brief, Eric Ethington and Matt Zayko share how skilled chief engineers build strong teams and robust product and process development systems. They discuss essential chief engineer skills, the role of conflict in innovation, system integration, and real stories of lean product and process development in action. #LeanThinking #LPPD
-
Check out the great line up of webinars coming up.
🔴 LIVE: Boost Your Knowledge and Meet the Experts #FREE Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Join our FREE webinar collection Don't miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders and gain a competitive edge. Join now! 🟦 Lean & AI Conversation: How to help AI Skeptics become AI Believers (Part 2) Second part of series exploring Strategic Alignment, People Focus, and Growth Mindset in combining Lean & AI By: Marc D Braun, Tyson Heaton, Steve Pereira and hosted by Kelly Reo and the Center for Operational Excellence at The Ohio State University ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d8myfCpe -------------- 🟪 Leveraging Psychology for Effective Behavioral Change with Process Gemba Walks Explores psychology behind Gemba Walks and Change Management using concepts from "Switch" by Chip & Dan Heath By: Tracy ORourke ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dezCfjdj -------------- 🟨 The Evolution of the Lean Professional By: Jamie Flinchbaugh ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dY2PHBxQ -------------- 🟩 Team Leaders: The Engine of Toyota's Performance How Toyota's Team Leader role drives customer value, business results, and people development in daily management systems By: Josh Howell, Jamie Bonini ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d3zU53sQ Collection by Ahmed Radwan #lean #kaizen #webinars #KME_Collections #KME_Quotes
-
Our very own Tyson Heaton had the chance to share his perspective on the KPI Fireside podcast with Keith C Norris. It was a great conversation that stretched across Lean thinking, leadership, and transformation. Here is a short clip from their conversation.
Senior Director @ Lean Enterprise Institute | Advancing Lean Thinking & Organizational Transformation
Lean isn’t just a set of tools. It’s our best attempt yet to create a learning, adaptive organization - one that can sustain its own growth while continuing to adapt and stay aligned with changing customer needs. I had the chance to share this perspective on the KPI Fireside podcast with Keith C Norris. It was a great conversation that stretched across Lean thinking, leadership, and transformation. Thanks Keith for putting together such a thoughtful podcast. 🎥 Here is a short clip from our conversation: If you check out Keith’s YouTube page and the links in the first comment below, you can find other great clips from my friends Ken Snyder and Ted Iverson - or even the full episode if you’re up for it. Keith has a magic way of distilling key points into great shorts. #Lean #ContinuousImprovement #Leadership #LearningOrganizations #ProblemSolving KPI Fire
-
Hear What Past Attendees Had To Say About The Lean Summit: "The summit was very well-rounded in terms of learning about lean continuous improvement in multiple industries from healthcare to manufacturing and even leadership." Join us at the 2026 Lean Summit to connect with leaders, practitioners, and learners from across industries. Discover practical insights, share experiences, and bring back ideas you can put into action. 📍 Houston, TX | March 12–13 👀 Optional Workshops March 10–11 #LeanSummit2026 #LeanThinking #ProblemSolving #Leadership Catalysis Inc.
-
-
LEI coaches Jim Morgan and Mark Reich join Josh Howell to dispel the myths and discuss how LPPD and Hoshin Kanri transform entire enterprises, from strategy alignment to innovation to sustainable growth. 🎧 This special edition Design Brief + Management Brief crossover airs Sept 29 on the WLEI Podcast, streaming on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen. #LeanThinking #LPPD #HoshinKanri #Leadership #Transformation #Podcast
-
AI is everywhere — billion-dollar valuations, humanoid robot demos, bold predictions of mass unemployment. But the real disruption is happening in quieter ways: coding, consulting, education, and everyday knowledge work. Art Smalley thinks the the lean community faces a choice: ⚡ AI for extraction — replacing people. ⚡ AI for amplification — making people more capable. Which path will shape the future? 👉 Read the full article and subscribe to The Lean AI Journal #Lean #AI #FutureOfWork
-
Join 10,000 other lean thinkers from around the globe on November 13-14 for the Lean Global Connection. The 24-hour event features 100+ speakers from around the globe and it is FREE to register. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gMGyQU-T
🎨 From Gray to Great: Change the Work, Change Minds Lean is more than tools and processes — it’s about transforming how people think, collaborate, and lead. At the Lean Global Connection 2025 (November 13–14), we’ll explore how organizations around the world are using Lean Thinking to: ✅ Turn everyday problems into opportunities ✅ Empower people at every level ✅ Build workplaces that are not just more efficient, but also more humane and people-centric Join us for two days of global lean stories, practical insights, and leadership lessons that will help you bring more color — and meaning — to your organization. 🌍✨ 👉 Save the date: November 13–14, 2025 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dWBvMpND #LeanGlobalConnection #Leadership #LeanThinking #ContinuousImprovement #BetterWork #LGC2025
-