While many things have been heartbreaking or difficult in these times, there have been others that have helped alleviate some of our angst. I find myself moved to tears over things I’m not sure would have really registered in easier times. I suppose the pain we’re exposed to, with so many people suffering in terms of health and/or the economy,… Read the full article…

Most every conversation I’m in, there is this growing awareness that there’s no telling how long significant changes may go on, much less their impact on the overall business landscape. This is leading to a range of concerns and corresponding responses related to work environments. Virtual work may have a long-term application. While organizations will seek to have some level… Read the full article…

If any of you are in the same spot I am, all of a sudden you’re being faced with how to work with people virtually instead of in person. Specifically, I have a number of scheduled in-person trainings that are now being done virtually. Interestingly, when this all happened, I could not have conceived how to even go about training… Read the full article…

How many Zoom meetings have you attended in the past two weeks? If I had to guess, probably more than you ever have before. As we learn to work virtually, many people find it provides a new set of challenges. The most common problems are: 1) participants who multi-task; 2) some participants don’t participate; and 3) you’re not sure how… Read the full article…

Recently, I was working with a team on addressing the myriad challenges they were facing related to COVID-19. The same organization has over 15 years of experience with applying lean practices to various manufacturing situations. Many of this organization’s team members have solid skills in problem solving, visual management, standard work, and involving teams in various challenges. Yet, as the… Read the full article…

In the last several weeks, we have all experienced enormous changes in how we’re living and working. We often consider change management as something we apply to a new initiative, an ERP implementation, or a change in ownership. However, change management practices apply just as well in the situation we are facing with COVID-19. As a change management challenge, this… Read the full article…

A few weeks ago, I shared about the relationship between job roles and successful lean transformations. Today, I’m sharing another barrier to a successful lean transformation: Development of a lean culture can be elusive. The following is an excerpt from my book, “Lean HR: Redesigning HR Processes for a Culture of Continuous Improvement” – Second Edition, out this spring, intended… Read the full article…

A few weeks ago, I shared about the struggle to move beyond improvement “events” when it comes to lean transformations. Today, I’m sharing another barrier to a successful lean transformation: job roles and daily work are not redesigned for improvement practices. The following is an excerpt from my book, “Lean HR: Redesigning HR Processes for a Culture of Continuous Improvement”… Read the full article…

A few weeks ago, I shared about the short sightedness of a cost-savings focus when it comes to lean transformations. Today, I’m sharing another barrier to a successful lean transformation: the struggle to move beyond improvement “events.” The following is an excerpt from my book, “Lean HR: Redesigning HR Processes for a Culture of Continuous Improvement” – Second Edition, out… Read the full article…

The following is an excerpt from my book, “Lean HR: Redesigning HR Processes for a Culture of Continuous Improvement” – Second Edition, out this spring, intended to help organizations partner with HR to reach the full potential of a lean transformation. “Almost as a rule, leadership teams are aware that lean is capable of delivering much better results than they… Read the full article…

The following is an excerpt from my book, “Lean HR: Redesigning HR Processes for a Culture of Continuous Improvement” – Second Edition, out this spring, intended to help organizations partner with HR to reach the full potential of a lean transformation. “Understanding why HR is held in such low regard and seen as tangential to lean transformation efforts is critical… Read the full article…

Ever wonder how much of your HR team’s time is spent on transactional work compared to more value-added contributions? Although some studies report this to be 40%, the client I worked with recently registered a shocking 90%! This group, like so many others I’ve encountered over the years, is struggling to increase the value they bring to the organization. However,… Read the full article…

Sitting in an audience of well over 200 team members in a production facility, I was enjoying being a participant of this team meeting. The sessions included all types of engaged presentations on various topics, such as individual/team accomplishments, reports on what was coming up, progress updates on various projects, safety statistics, and process changes to improve product quality. They… Read the full article…

In March, AME and I facilitated a Champions of HR event for lean HR professionals to visit 3 world-class lean cultures. Following are the highlights of each visit that made for a memorable event. The Power of Gratitude with Cambridge Engineering Our first visit was Cambridge Engineering. When you first visit the Cambridge facility, you’ll typically be invited to the… Read the full article…

Recently, I visited an operation that was pleased with all the improvements they had been able to implement. They pointed to the ways team members had been involved in identifying problems and implementing solutions. I inquired on the role of HR in the overall improvement efforts and they looked at me quite puzzled. Since the focus of the improvement efforts… Read the full article…