How I Learned the Habit of Exceptional Cross Functional Teams
February 11, 2020When I was 22 and just starting my career, I was the administrative assistant to the President of a software company. One of my...
Innovation Management – There’s an App for That
October 13, 2015Most people tend to associate the word “Innovation” with bringing new things to market. We think of Apple products like the iPhone and iPad...
It's Not Fight Club, and 3 Other Rules of Catchball
October 11, 2023In their book, Value Stream Management for the Lean Office, Don Tapping and Tom Shuker describe the continuous improvement technique of...
3 Beliefs that Damage a Culture of Continuous Improvement
October 9, 2015This picture wasn’t taken at a liquor store with a witty staff. It was taken at Safeway, a major grocery store chain with more than 1,300...
Does Making Your Suggestion Box Electronic Make it Better?
October 7, 2015Almost every business process is better when it’s digital. You wouldn’t create your P&L statement on ledger paper or keep your sales...
Neuroplasticity, Memories, and PTSD in Kaizen and the Grand Canyon
October 6, 2015In July 2015, Mark Jaben had the opportunity to be part of a private permit 16 person, 16 day river trip on the Colorado River through the...
How to Spread Innovation: 3 Farcical Lessons from IBM
October 2, 2015When a creativity consultant told executives at a consumer healthcare company that they needed to suit up in spandex superhero costumes to...
HROs: Reliability at 30,000 Feet
April 11, 2017I’m sitting on an airplane right now. Over the next hour or so, I’m going to write this blog post. I really want to write a blog that you...
9 Signs that Your Organization Could Benefit from Hoshin Kanri
September 29, 2015I once saw a cartoon that depicted two knights from the middle ages in a sword fight.