Blogs and Articles

Many things weigh on business leaders. From choosing the right direction on projects to hiring employees, managers have to make many crucial decisions during day-to-day operations. But just because managers are running a team doesn’t mean they should wield their power any way they want. Those leaders who subscribe to the tenets of lean management […]

As we know, one of the basic principles of lean management is to optimize the production flow from beginning to end. Essentially, creating a product or initiating a service and delivering it to your customers should take as little time and use as few resources as possible without compromising on quality. This is all done […]

Thinking outside the box can help team members solve problems, collaborate more effectively and nurture fresh new ideas. In general, creativity can boost overall business performance. But creativity is generally something that happens organically — it can’t be forced. So how can business leaders cultivate this quality in their employees? We’ve all heard the research […]

As a business leader, making decisions about how to move various projects forward can prove to be a daunting task in itself. Making the right choice can be a tough formula to crack. So how can you know how to proceed and which task to tackle first? Having too many choices and the wealth of […]

Many organizations struggle to create a corporate culture of accountability and personal responsibility. And in theory, this can be a fantastic way to nurture an environment where employees don’t need external motivators to get the job done in a timely manner — they hold themselves accountable and are intrinsically motivated to get things accomplished. Managers […]

Consistently achieving predictable outcomes, particularly when it comes to a company’s workflow and/or processes, is one of the most desired goals in lean management. Why, you ask? Generally, predictability within this context is a sign that your organization’s workforce and processes are standardized and efficient. Both workflows are operating reliably and delivering consistently without major […]

One of the primary pillars of lean management is the concept of continuous improvement. According to TechTarget, continuous improvement (also known as kaizen) is defined as “an approach to work that systematically seeks to achieve small, incremental changes in processes in order to improve efficiency and quality.” While it’s most well known for being applied […]

As any good manager knows, a team’s work doesn’t end when a task or project is completed. Once a task is finished, this is the perfect opportunity to use the gift of hindsight to look back and see where your workflow or the team’s performance could be improved. This is another issue a kanban board […]

Leaders face a number of challenges when managing a team. Not every employee is a model one — some are assets while some stagnate or even slip into the category of poor performers. But poor performers don’t deserve to be immediately written off as more trouble than they’re worth. Sometimes a conversation and some constructive […]