Lean Healthcare
Improvement usually means doing something that we have never done before - Shigeo Shingo
image by: ileezhun
HWN Suggests
Why Continuous Improvement May Need To Be Discontinued
Is it possible to suggest that Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean, and other variations on continuous improvement can be hazardous to your organization's health? While it may be heresy to say this, recent evidence from Japan and elsewhere suggests that it's time to question these methods.
Admittedly, continuous improvement once powered Japan's economy. Japanese manufacturers in the 1950s had a reputation for poor quality, but through a culture of analytical and systematic change Japan was able to go from worst to first. Starting in the 1970s, the country's ability to create low-cost, quality products helped them dominate key industries, such as automobiles, telecommunications, and consumer…
Resources
Lean Health Care: Lower Costs, Better Outcomes
Could lean processes transform the U.S. health care system, with its spiraling costs and inconsistent quality?
Is Six Sigma Killing Your Company's Future?
Six Sigma and other efficiency seeking approaches can dramatically reduce variance and inefficiency in an organization. But if you’re not careful, innovation and growth may be swept away in the process.
Lean Management—The Journey from Toyota to Healthcare
The article explores challenges and opportunities faced by organizations that intend incorporating lean management principles and presents the specific context of the healthcare industry.
What is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma actually has its roots in a 19th Century mathematical theory, but found its way into today’s mainstream business world through the efforts of an engineer at Motorola in the 1980s. Now heralded as one of the foremost methodological practices for improving customer satisfaction and improving business processes, Six Sigma has been refined and perfected over the years into what we see today.
Where Process-Improvement Projects Go Wrong
What do weight-loss plans and process-improvement programs such as Six Sigma and "lean manufacturing" have in common? They typically start off well, generating excitement and great progress, but all too often fail to have a lasting impact as participants gradually lose motivation and fall back into old habits.
Why Continuous Improvement May Need To Be Discontinued
Is it possible to suggest that Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean, and other variations on continuous improvement can be hazardous to your organization's health?
iSixSigma
To help you increase business efficiency by providing engaging, educational and entertaining content. Our publishing focus areas include Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Lean Startup, project management, change management…and a host of other process improvement methodologies.
Lean Blog
We're working to make the world a better place through Lean… better processes, better leadership, better workplaces… and better results! Oh, and we'd like to have some fun while we're doing that. Welcome to Mark Graban's Lean Blog, a site that was started in January 2005 to host news, commentary, and discussion about “Lean” – the methodology and management system based on the Toyota Production System.
Lean Global Network
LGN is a community of lean thought leaders and practitioners with the goal of making things better by advancing lean thinking and practice throughout the world. Founded by Jim Womack and Dan Jones in 2007...
Old Lean Dude
A blog about understanding the Toyota production system and gaining its full benefits, brought to you by "The Toast Guy".
Planet Lean
Planet Lean is the official online magazine of the Lean Global Network, launched in February 2014 as a platform to share LGN's knowledge of and experience with lean thinking and practice around the world.
Six Sigma Daily
Our goal is simple and focused: deliver fresh, relevant and timely information to those seeking the latest and greatest Six Sigma news and insights.
Lean Enterprise Institute
The Lean Enterprise Institute Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Cambridge, MA, with a mission to make things better through lean thinking and practice.
Lean Pathways
Find all the tools you require to train and to implement Lean production systems in your workplace.
Michel Baudin's Blog
Ideas from manufacturing operations.
Curious Cat
The Curious Cat Management Improvement blog exists to encourage the adoption of customer focused continual improvement management practices and to help those adopting such practices to succeed.
Gemba Academy
The founding partners of Gemba Academy come with lean consulting, lean and six sigma training, and executive level lean transformation experience. This is the Gemba Academy difference: we're lean and six sigma experts first, who then learned how to create great training videos.
GoLeanSixSigma.com
Lean Six Sigma Training & Certification that makes it easy for you and your teams to start improving processes right away.
JFlinch
We help teams accelerate their lean journey by solving the most challenging problems.
KaiNexus
KaiNexus empowers leading organizations in every industry to start, spread and sustain their improvement cultures.
Kevin Meyer
Life and leadership at the nexus of lean and zen.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.