Why Toyota Is Replacing the Andon Cord with Buttons
Toyota has been replacing its famous andon cord with buttons. I visited Toyota's plant in Durban, South Africa, to see…
Catch Ball or Dodgeball? How Goals Really Flow in Lean Management
Strategy deployment -- hoshin kanri -- is supposed to work like a game of catch. Goals flow down from leadership,…
The Accountability Meeting He Stopped Having | Eric Dingler
Eric Dingler paused a weekly numbers meeting with his wife for six weeks. It became a year, and a cash-flow gap grew…
They Asked a Nurse to Run the Hospital Lab | Stephanie Mitchell
An ICU nurse was asked to run a hospital laboratory she knew nothing about, right as consultants arrived to cut costs.…
Toyota Andon Cord Explained: How It Works
The Toyota andon cord allows a team member to signal a problem and request help without immediately stopping the…
"Be More Careful" Is Not a Real Countermeasure
When someone makes a mistake, most managers say the same thing: be more careful next time. There's a Japanese term for…
Why 85% of Us Avoid Hard Conversations | Dr. Jonathan Thorp
85% of Americans avoided at least one difficult conversation in the past 30 days. Dr. Jonathan Thorp, CEO of Quantum…
Respect for People Does Not Mean Being Nice
Respect for People is one of the two pillars of the Toyota Way, and most leaders think it means politeness. Being…