Wlei - Lean Enterprise Institute's Podcast

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, LEI speaks with Billy Taylor, former operations executive at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He is now President of LinkedXL and author of The Winning Link: a Proven Process to Define, Align, and Execute Strategy at Every Level.  In our discussion, we explore: Billy’s career journey from third shift supervisor to director of North American operations for Goodyear. How Billy led a transformation of one of Goodyear’s worst-performing plants through instituting a few core principles: deliberate clarity, defined ownership, deliberate practice, and trust.  Billy’s approach to scaling a management system from a single plant to multiple plants across North America through intense collaboration with plant leaders.  The current challenges of retaining employees due to changing workforce mindsets post-COVID and how to re-engage workers.

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, LEI's guests are Mary Nell Egan and Lisa Karam from MassMutual, a leading insurance company. Egan and Karam delve into the intricacies of transformation in a traditionally cautious, large organization. In our discussion, we explore several key themes: MassMutual’s evolution from a tool-centric to a customer-value approach in their lean journey. The methods Egan and Karam used to engage previously disengaged leaders with lean, linking continuous improvement to corporate strategy. The critical role of meeting people where they are in mitigating resistance to change. The significance of resilience in lean transformation.

LEI chats with Frank Paluch, Retired President of Honda R&D Americas, and Lara Harrington, Retired Honda Chief Engineer. Frank and Lara share how Honda utilized Lean Product and Process Development principles to launch successful vehicles like the Honda Passport.  During the conversation we dive into the following:  Understanding Customer Value – As Chief Engineer of the Honda Passport Lara explains how she used rapid prototyping and gathered consumer feedback early in the development process to determine a vehicle design that would appeal to customers and grow Honda’s market share. The Chief Engineer – Frank and Lara reflect on the chief engineer’s role, what makes a great chief engineer, and the matrix organization in which they work. People Development – Comparing hiring in engineering talent versus developing it internally. Future of the Auto Industry – Discussing the industry push toward EVs and contrasting Tesla’s approach to development to Toyota’s.  Special note: Lara and Frank will

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we speak with Jill Katic and Grace Eovaldi from Barton Malow, a major construction company that has recently seen significant growth. Jill and Grace share how they've been working to foster a culture of problem solving throughout Barton Malow, principally through a program dubbed Lean University.  During the conversation we dive into the following:   Lean Principles and A3 Problem-Solving: Exploring Lean University's five-day training program, which introduces participants to lean principles and the A3 problem-solving method over a three-month period.  Problem Identification and Analysis: How Jill and Grace use the program to help participants identify and dissect problems in their work, guiding them in developing effective countermeasures.  Business and Cultural Results at Barton Mallow: Insights into the tangible business outcomes and cultural shifts experienced by Barton Malow since beginning Lean University.  Lean Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: The significance o

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we talk with Fabrice Bernhard and Catherine Chabiron. Fabrice is the co-founder of Theodo, a fast-growing software company, and Catherine is the author of the new book, Learning to Scale at Theodo: Growing a Fast and Resilient Company. Fabrice and Catherine share how Theodo has seamlessly integrated lean thinking into its management system enabling it to grow rapidly while maintaining a customer-first mindset and ship quality software. During the conversation, we dive into: Lean vs. Agile: How Theodo found lean thinking and how it complements agile, while challenging traditional perspectives in the software industry. Quality vs. Speed: Navigating the delicate balance between producing high-quality code and meeting the demands for rapid delivery. Customer Focus: How lean has enhanced Theodo’s customer-centric approach, making it a hallmark of their operations. Learning Organizations: The role of continuous learning in building resilient teams that not only solve t

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we speak with Mehmet Gur, Senior Director of Operations Engineering at DHL eCommerce. He has been leading the company's next-generation automation efforts. Since the pandemic, DHL eCommerce – DHL's business-to-consumer unit – has faced dramatic increases in volume. This surge required new automation technology to meet customer demand and heightened expectations regarding delivery speed. Mehmet oversees a large team of technical engineers tasked with meeting this challenge.  During the discussion we touch on:   Lean Thinking and Automation: How Mehmet's team used value-stream mapping to close the gap between automation equipment’s theoretical throughput and actual throughput.   Automation Evaluation: What should organizations consider before investing millions in new technology.  People Development: How to use problem-solving at the gemba to not just solve intractable technical problems but develop engineers.   AI in Distribution: How emerging technologies are revolutionizi

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we speak with Jay Multanen and Jared Ragozzine from Bestbath, a manufacturer specializing in showers and bathtubs for both commercial and residential buildings. Jay is the co-CEO, while Jared is Director of Lean and Continuous Improvement.  During the conversation we touch on:   Organizational Transformation: Gain insights into how Bestbath has built a problem-solving culture through methodical structural changes and targeted people development strategies.  Competitive Differentiation: Understand how adopting lean practices has not only streamlined their operations but conferred a significant competitive edge in the market.  Strengthening Partnerships: Learn how lean thinking has fortified Bestbath's relationships with their construction trade partners, thereby enhancing collaborative opportunities.  Profit-Share Model: Explore Bestbath's innovative profit-sharing scheme that has been pivotal in fostering the right behaviors across all levels, from the C-suite t

In the latest episode of the WLEI podcast, we delve into hoshin kanri (strategy deployment) with Otto Funke and Joseph Tamayo from GlobalFoundries, a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing. Otto has overseen the strategic planning process at one of GlobalFoundries' production facilities for sixteen years. He will share insights on how the site has developed a robust process that has withstood leadership changes. Alongside Joseph, they will explore how this process creates alignment around objectives, both vertically and horizontally, enabling front-line workers to link their tasks to broader corporate goals. Furthermore, they will shed light on how this strategic approach is instrumental in cultivating GlobalFoundries' next generation of leaders. Otto and Joseph will host a learning session on hoshin kanri at the Lean Summit on March 19-20 with optional workshops on March 21-22. Register by October 31 to save up to $900 on your registration. Click here to learn more and register.

In the latest episode of the WLEI podcast, we explore the topic of organizational change with Dr. Lynn Kelley, former vice president of supply chain and continuous improvement at Union Pacific Railroad and author of the new book Change Questions. Kelley posits that there is no such thing as a fixed plan for a successful transformation. Leaders must approach change situationally, recognizing they face unique challenges no single method could address. In her book, she proposes a series of questions that methodically guide management to implement change and measure its impact: What is your value-driven purpose? What is the work to be done to achieve the purpose or to solve the problem? How will you engage and develop employees? How will you establish a supportive management system with the appropriate leader behaviors? What are your organization's beliefs, values, norms, attitudes and assumptions? By grappling with these questions, leaders will be able to design and implement a lasting transformat

In the latest episode of the WLEI podcast, we take a deep dive into a new venture whose goal is to rekindle America’s industrial tradition. Re:Build Manufacturing was founded by former Amazon executive Jeff Wilke in 2021. We sat down with its CEO Miles Arnone and Chief Lean officer Bonnie Davis to learn about Re:Build Manufacturing’s purpose and how it fulfills it. For decades U.S. manufacturers swept up by the opportunity to maximize profits with low-cost labor have been offshoring manufacturing. But the short-term boost in profits has generated long-term, unintended consequences. Communities that once thrived on manufacturing experienced severe economic downturns. This decline led to increased economic inequality, as those who lost their jobs struggled to find employment that matched their skills and offered comparable wages. Also, manufacturers struggled to protect their innovations as overseas suppliers threatened intellectual property theft or infringement. And the offshoring trend has eroded America's m

While Lean can trace its direct roots to the production system launched by Toyota more than 50 years ago, its timeless appeal translates into immediate practical countermeasures in a surprising number of situations. What A Unicorn Knows, a terrific new book by authors Matt May and Pablo Dominguez, proves this by presenting a comprehensive application of lean principles that couldn’t be more timely. Join us for their conversation with WLEI host Tom Ehrenfeld for a wide-ranging exploration of the deep relevance of lean for growing companies today.

What is the best way to tackle complex problems? Getting better at this perennial challenge certainly fuels the beating heart of lean practice. It is the key theme in author Paolo Savaget's new book, The Four Workarounds: Strategies from the World’s Scrappiest Organizations for Tackling Complex Problems. He discusses his findings with WLEI host Tom Ehrenfeld.

Lean practice has always coexisted with technology that enables the human operators to do their job better—in the service of delivering more value with less waste to the customer. But do today’s digitized, information-saturated, workplaces provide so much assistance that the machines actually get in the way? In his new book, Augmented Lean, co-author Natan Linder talks with WLEI host Tom Ehrenfeld about how Tulip, the company he co-founded to provide a “human-centric framework for managing frontline operations,” seeks to delegate technology and improvement to the operators doing the key lean work.

Lean veteran Billy Taylor, author of the new book The Winning Link: A Proven Process to Define, Align, and Execute Strategy at Every Level, discusses with WLEI Host Tom Ehrenfeld how to cultivate "extreme leadership" as a means of building a cohesive and top-tier organization. Bill shares a "connected operating system" that, he says, helps people and organizations define and achieve ambitious goals. He learned and developed this approach through decades of success at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

Organizing a restaurant kitchen is a daunting task to think about. Find and establish the problems at hand, implement an improved process to adhere to those problems. It all lends itself towards increased profitability, more respect for the workers with emphasis on value-creating work, increased tact-time; but its also much easier said than done. A flagship restaurant worked with LEI coaches and learned to increase their profitability through the lens of storytelling, where each piece is an innate - and respected - part of the whole. Listen in to hear how this all came together, and also check out the case study complementing this podcast. 

Regret, the pervasive and often toxic emotional mess most of us invariably experience, need not be so painful, says best-selling author Dan Pink. In fact, his new book The Power of Regret counsels readers to deliberately view regret as a process that can be examined in a way to help us all lead better lives. This WLEI podcast with host Tom Ehrenfeld explores how Pink came to this conclusion and explores parallels between his approach to processing regret and Lean’s mindful approach to framing problems for continuous improvement.

In 2021 Toyota Motor became the first manufacturer from outside the United States to sell the most cars in the USA. While this news hook may very well prove to be transient, it raises key issues about what has accounted for the company’s success. What aspects of Toyota’s vaunted production system, which is foundational for lean, have supported its success? How does Toyota’s approach contrast with a company such as Tesla? How can companies productively balance the need to develop products that dazzle consumers with the need to simultaneously develop the brilliant processes that produce these coveted items?   Join LEI founder Jim Womack and LEI President Josh Howell in a conversation hosted by Tom Ehrenfeld about lean’s enduring value in today’s time of discontinuity.

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, Matt Savas sits down with LEI President Josh Howell and Richard Vellante, Executive Director of Community and Training Events at LEI. They discuss the labor shortage and recent supply chain issues with the perspectives and intuition, as well as addressing recent blames towards lean within the supply chain industry.  Leadership is at the center of these topics, with Rich's experience as an Executive Chef lending some hands on nuance to the conversation. Leaders should be hard on the process, not the people getting accustomed to that process.  NFT's are also discussed, as their ever developing trajectory in the media landscape surely can borrow a thing or two from the way that lean thinkers lead and act. 

How much of your work time do you spend doing actual work that leverages what you do best? And how much of your invaluable time and focus is chipped away by myriad distractions—of which the most pernicious might be email and its constant demand for your attention. I’m Tom Ehrenfeld, host of the Lean Enterprise Institute’s WLEI podcast. I spoke with author Cal Newport about his newest book, A World Without Email, where he challenges us to rethink why we need to be constantly plugged into communication that seldom helps us produce valuable work.  

As we slowly emerge from the long pandemic, LEI and colleagues like the Good Jobs Institute are deeply committed to helping produce decent jobs. In this conversation, LEI President Josh Howell spoke with Executive Director Sarah Kalloch of the Good Jobs Institute about ways they are both working to help foster good work. WLEI Host Tom Ehrenfeld moderated this conversation.   Download a transcript of the conversation here.