KaiNexus Blog

Learning From Mistakes and Psychological Safety at Work

mark@kainexus.com (Mark Graban) — Thu, 14 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT

A few years ago, I hosted a panel discussion with four colleagues from KaiNexus -- Greg Jacobson, Maggie Millard, Linda Vicaro, and Kym Guilliotti -- as a launch event for my book The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. The format was unusual for our webinar series: no slides, no outside experts, just a candid conversation about how we actually operate at KaiNexus.

Identity Over Goals: Sustaining Continuous Improvement

Linda Vicaro — Tue, 12 May 2026 11:00:00 GMT

There's a phrase that Greg Jacobson, CEO of KaiNexus, uses that sounds like a minor word choice but functions as a completely different operating system for continuous improvement. He draws the contrast with a personal example: after tearing his ACL, he didn't set a goal of completing his physical therapy. He told himself,

KaiNexus vs. i-nexus: How the Two Improvement Platforms Differ

matt.banna@kainexus.com (Matt Banna) — Fri, 08 May 2026 05:30:00 GMT

Buyers comparing KaiNexus and i-nexus often start with the same observation: the names look similar. That is roughly where the similarity ends.

Are You Solving the Right Problem in CI? | KaiNexus

Lynn Howell — Thu, 07 May 2026 10:30:02 GMT

Every improvement program has a version of this story. Someone identifies a change they want to make. They build the business case, get the resources, run the project. The result looks good on paper. And then, weeks later, it becomes clear: the improvement they just spent three months on wasn't actually connected to a problem anyone needed solved.

This is the most expensive failure mode in continuous improvement -- not failed projects, but successful projects aimed at the wrong target.

How KaiNexus Customers Engage Leaders, Frontline Staff, and Measure CI Success

Kathryn Abbott — Wed, 06 May 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Most organizations launching a continuous improvement program think the hard part is choosing the methodology. It isn't. The hard part is getting people to actually use the system -- executives who set the tone, frontline workers who generate the ideas, and leaders at every level who need to trust the numbers enough to act on them.

Habit Loops for 5 CI Behaviors: A Practical Guide | KaiNexus

greg@kainexus.com (Greg Jacobson) — Tue, 05 May 2026 10:45:01 GMT

This is a companion piece to our earlier post on how habit science can build a culture of continuous improvement. That post covers the foundational concepts -- the habit loop, BJ Fogg's behavior model, identity vs. goals, persona-based design, and how interlocking loops create self-sustaining systems. If you haven't read it, start there.

What CEOs Actually Want from CI Leaders | KaiNexus

mark@kainexus.com (Mark Graban) — Mon, 04 May 2026 21:52:09 GMT

If you've ever walked out of a meeting with your CEO wondering whether they actually care about your improvement program, the answer is almost certainly yes. The harder question is whether they care about it the way you think they do.

Habit Science and Continuous Improvement: A 3-Part Framework

maggie.millard@kainexus.com (Maggie Millard) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:00:01 GMT

Most CI coaches have experienced this frustration: you train a team on A3 thinking, they do one or two, and then... nothing. You launch a huddle cadence, it runs strong for a month, and quietly dies. You roll out an idea system, get a burst of submissions, and watch engagement flatline.

The problem usually isn't the methodology. It's that nobody designed the behavior to stick.

Why Lean Transformations Stall After Year 5 | KaiNexus

mark@kainexus.com (Mark Graban) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:15:01 GMT

Here's a pattern that plays out in organizations around the world. Year one: excitement. A consulting engagement, a wave of kaizen events, visible wins. The manufacturing floor gets 5S'd. The hospital unit starts huddles. Leaders get trained. Year two and three: momentum. More events, more trained facilitators, maybe a deployment to other sites. Year four: the curve flattens. Year five: people start saying "flavor of the month" in the hallway, and nobody corrects them.

What Respect for People Looks Like in Practice | KaiNexus

Emily Kauten — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:15:01 GMT

Every Lean practitioner can recite the two pillars: continuous improvement and respect for people. Ask them what continuous improvement looks like on a given day, and you'll get specifics -- huddles, PDSA cycles, A3s, gemba walks. Ask what respect for people looks like on the same day, and the answer gets vague fast. "We empower our teams." "We listen." "We value everyone's input."