Bob Emiliani
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Bob Emiliani is a renowned author, educator, and trainer in the fields of leadership development, management, and continuous improvement. Today's fast-moving digital age requires new ideas for leading and managing organizations. Let Bob Emiliani guide you toward practical solutions.
Bob Emiliani
2d ago
I am surprised that in the nine years since the book Shingijutsu-Kaizen was published, nobody has asked me what “∞,” means.
“∞,” was carried over from the book Kaizen Forever. It was part of the header for blank note pages 82 to 85 and was accompanied by the words “Your Infinite Possibilities.”
Chihiro Nakao asked that we add this combination of symbols to Kaizen Forever. But what does it mean?
Everyone knows that the infinity symbol ∞ represents something that is boundless, indefinite, or endless. It is both a philosophical and mathematical construct. At face value, in the context of kaizen ..read more
Bob Emiliani
2d ago
It is surprising to me that in the nine years since the book Kaizen Forever was published, nobody has asked me what the beautiful Japanese calligraphy on the cover says.
A literal reading by Chihiro Nakao would be: “Continue Moonshine [to make] change [towards the] ideal. [signed] Nakao Chihiro.”
Continue = 続
Moonshine = 月つるつる
Kaizen = 改善
Nakao = 中表
Chihiro = 千尋
You may be wondering, “What is Moonshine?” At Shingijutsu,
Moonshine means developing valuable solutions to problems by creatively adapting materials that are already on hand. It requires looking at those materials and the problems t ..read more
Bob Emiliani
2d ago
Most of the books about Lean management, Toyota Production System, and the Toyota Way are reportage: “writing intended to give an account of observed or documented events.” They tell the story of story of a company or persons who did something notable. Reportage is useful in three ways:
Deliver information clearly, though not always concisely
Inform people of what innovators in management thinking and practice have done
Inspire people to try out (or avoid) what they read
Reportage almost always lacks critical analysis and creative inputs developed solely by the author. I was never interested ..read more
Bob Emiliani
2d ago
Chihiro Nakao not liking what he sees on the genba.
The first generation of Shingijutsu consultants, led by Yoshiki Iwata (d. 2001) and Chihiro Nakao are widely known for their expertise in kaizen consulting and helping organizations create TPS-like management systems since 1987. They are also known as “insultants” for their direct form of communication with managers, which is greatly appreciated by those who know them well.
Keep in mind that Iwata, Nakao, and others like them have vast knowledge of people and processes that greatly — greatly! — exceeds the knowledge of those they are insultin ..read more
Bob Emiliani
6d ago
One of the things that makes life at work more difficult than it should be is the lack of connection between departments, people, and processes. Legendary are the disputes between operations and sales, quality and purchasing, and design and marketing, to name a few prominent examples. Severed connections such as these are rampant, especially in large businesses.
The lack of connection between departments, people, and processes is due to accounting systems, siloed department structures, physical layout, and one’s personal identity or affiliation with a department based on training or education ..read more
Bob Emiliani
1w ago
If you have been working for the last 30 or more years, or if you are familiar with management history, you are no doubt aware of the many management fads that have come and gone since the 1930s. These include:
Human Relations
Management by Objectives
Matrix Management
Business Process Reengineering
Theory Z
Empowerment
Best Practices
Benchmarking
Transformational Leadership
System of Profound Knowledge
Total Quality Management
360o Feedback
Knowledge Management
Management by Walking Around
Emotional Intelligence
Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma
Lean Management
Agile Management
Employee Wellbeing
An ..read more
Bob Emiliani
1w ago
Here is something that I imagine could happen in the not-too-distant future…
Artificial intelligence systems installed by large companies have eliminated huge numbers of jobs. This, in turn, has reduced the purchasing power of consumers resulting in year-over-year reductions in sales and profitability for the foreseeable future. Geist Products is one such company. It is shrinking and has no practical means of recovery. The stock price is down so much that it cannot be used as cash for acquisitions. Mergers are unattractive as it would further consolidate the power of elites.
The board of dire ..read more
Bob Emiliani
1w ago
Please read “Ohno’s Theory of Nonproductivity” for context before continuing. Below is a recent DM conversation that you may find interesting, followed by some insights into the Theorem of Least Work and Artificial Intelligence.
Mr. D: “I made a presentation to executives a few weeks back, It was a full day meeting and I closing the day, everyone ahead of me was so complementary of each other and sending praise on how wonderful things were until I showed up and said, this is all BS, we are not doing well, we have all the issues etc. They took it, in shock, and said they had to do something abo ..read more
Bob Emiliani
1w ago
This year, 2024, is my 30-year anniversary of being seriously involved with progressive management, both Toyota Production System and Lean management. Throughout that time I have been both a practitioner and an educator — a practitioner in manufacturing, supply chain management, and higher education, and an educator, both as a manager and as a professor.
During that time I have been a steady producer of academic papers, articles, books, training courses, blog posts, videos, and LinkedIn posts, as well as graphics that I created (and recently which AI created based on my prompts) to explain ide ..read more
Bob Emiliani
2w ago
The Lean community is a small special interest group, an aspirational community, bonded by some key features:
Dissatisfaction with the current state
Alliance with business pragmatism
Belief in the need to continuously improve processes and systems
Expression of authenticity
Expression of personal identity
The first three items reflect the mind, the last two reflect the heart; i.e. personal desires and self-expression. Together the heart and mind coalesce into a culture that is both deeply supportive and very protective of Lean. As such, Lean becomes more than a management system, it becomes ..read more