Lean methods consistently show staggering results across many sectors. A famous example of this is Harley Davidson. Facing bankruptcy in the early 80’s, Harley Davidson’s CEO decided to implement lean practices in order to turn things around. In a few years, Harley Davidson went from turning inventory twice a year to seventeen times per year, increased [...]
A troubling myth of Lean is that it only applies to the manufacturing sector of a given company or business. The problem with this line of thinking is that it creates a singular relationship between Lean strategies and one aspect of the workforce. The truth is that Lean is a set of ideals that helps to [...]
Cross-generational mentoring is an excellent way to keep your Lean company ahead of the curve. Ken Blanchard, Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a highly respected leadership coaching organization, attributes much of his success to cross-generational mentoring. In the May 2017 CLM.com newsletter, Blanchard reminds us that “given the accelerating pace of change, people [...]
If a manufacturing apprentice program is not one of the items on your company’s list of potential improvements, after learning about its many advantages you may wish to consider implementing one. In last week’s blog, we quoted Tooling U-SME Learning and Performance Improvement Leader (LPI) John Hindeman’s six reasons for starting a manufacturing apprentice program, as [...]
“Learning is the human capital accelerant of the enterprise,” writes Michael E. Echols, Vice-President of strategic initiatives at Bellevue University, in the April 2016 issue of CLOmedia.com. According to Echols, a significant segment of the country’s corporate culture believes that human capital formation only includes the process of training or developing new employees. Echols contends that [...]
Learning is a Lifetime Pursuit for All Professionals Any professional who considers learning a lifetime pursuit will never be left behind in today’s highly competitive marketplace. This certainly holds true for learning professionals. In today’s Information Age, no one can afford to retire their brains and ingenuity if they want to stay current with their profession. [...]
Effective learning objectives for any endeavor start with a clear understanding of your goals. Whether your organization is launching a new product, restructuring an existing operational system or making other improvements, before taking that first step you need to know where you’re going, how you plan to get there and what your destination will look like. [...]
Learning objectives are the cornerstone to any learning program. Like writing a good business plan or developing a blueprint for one of your projects, before starting out, you need to figure out where you’re headed and where you want to go. If your enterprise is experiencing problems, it’s likely that your destination is not aligned with [...]
Change involves learning, and change management requires leadership skills coupled with a firm grasp of the dynamics of learning. An experienced Lean Leader often becomes the change agent and forecaster as well as the navigator for a company that is committed to following current trends and adapting to a changing marketplace. As we discussed last week, [...]
At some point in the evolution of your organization, you may be asking if you need to add a Chief Learning Officer (or Chief Lean Officer) - CLO to your management staff. If your organization has already made a commitment to Lean Learning, the CLO who has been trained in Lean strategies and techniques can place [...]
