Comments for Gemba Tales

Comment on All I Really Need to Know about Lean I Learned at Waffle House [guest post] by markrhamel

markrhamel — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:14:56 +0000

Hi David,

Thanks for the comment. Maybe it’s time for a Waffle House in Dublin, Ireland!

Best regards,
Mark

Comment on All I Really Need to Know about Lean I Learned at Waffle House [guest post] by David Williams

David Williams — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:14:07 +0000

Hi Mark/John

Great to hear this story again and finally see it written down!

Best regards,

David

Comment on Simplistic Ain’t Lean by markrhamel

markrhamel — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:57:42 +0000

Hi James,

Thanks for the comment. It has prompted some necessary self-reflection.

Yup, on plenty of occasions I have been an idiot.

Here’s to simple.

Best regards,
Mark

Comment on Simplistic Ain’t Lean by James Lawther

James Lawther — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:48:39 +0000

Hi Mark,

There is a world of difference between simple and simplistic. You only need to look at Google’s home page to understand that.

But it is also easy to swing the other way. As my old boss used to say to me “Any idiot can make it difficult”

Liked the post

James

Comment on Resources by markrhamel

markrhamel — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:14:23 +0000

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the kind words. I ‘m glad that you find Gemba Tales useful.

Best regards,
Mark

Comment on Resources by Rick

Rick — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:21:54 +0000

Hi Mark,

I’m a recently graduated Industrial Business and Management student from the Netherlands an I’m following your blog quietly for a few months now.

The reason I’m still browsing to this website regularly is because your blog is such a good resource about a lot of real-life lean topics. What I also like are your book reviews, because not every book is known of available in the netherlands.

Keep up the good work!

Comment on Tattoos, Lean, and Regrets by markrhamel

markrhamel — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:50:57 +0000

Hi Wesley,

Thanks for the very thoughtful comment. Leadership, in the end, makes the difference. Consultants are never a truly transformational magic bullet, alone.

I believe that the sabotage you reference is often driven by the fact that senior execs have made it to their senior exec level by doing what they normally do. (I know, brilliant statement of the obvious!) Lean implementation, by it’s very nature, requires change, which for most senior execs is fraught with risk. Why change when the status quo has brought past success, security, and power?

Best regards,
Mark

Comment on Tiered Meeting = Team Stand-up A3 by markrhamel

markrhamel — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:41:28 +0000

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the comment! I’m glad that the wheels are turning. The stand-up A3 concept will work within the cadence that you mention, and, I dare say, in a managed way, every tier 1 meeting.

Best regards,
Mark

Comment on Tattoos, Lean, and Regrets by Wesley Connell

Wesley Connell — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:02:09 +0000

I want to start with the statement that I am biased based on my current career path, but I am wary of stereotyping consultants. I have seen consultants that were used as a tool of management to tell the company that the boss is right, however, in my current position, I see a big problem coming from the lack of management and staff to support the changes that consultants are trying to lead (lead, not force). It often seems almost like sabotage along the thought lines of “if they (consultants) can make the process better in a short time, and I couldn’t in 10 years, they’re going to make me look bad.” Consultants, just like any software package, new machine, or process, should be installed with a specific focus in mind before they are ever used/hired. With that specific focus it will make the results much easier to evaluate, did the new purchase meet the desired result? if not, PDCA again.

Comment on Tiered Meeting = Team Stand-up A3 by Mike Krebs

Mike Krebs — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:01:19 +0000

If you are on a 5 day per week T1 schedule, formating the meeting precisely like this once or twice a week could be valuable in getting traction on problem solving. My wheels are turning…