Book Description
The goal of this book is to guide improvement activities throughout the organization: to use creative ideas from all employees to serve both internal and external customers, to unlock the hidden potential of every single employee, and to bring new excitement and joy into the workplace. Dana Corporation gets over 2,000,000 ideas a year from all of their employees. This book tells you how to do it.
"WHAT SETS US APART? The Toyota Production System is at the heart of everything we do. Based on the concept of continuous improvement, or kaizen, every Toyota team member is empowered with the ability to improve their work environment. This includes everything from quality and safety to the environment and productivity. Improvements and suggestions by team members are the cornerstone of Toyota's success."
Customer Reviews:
A Pamphlets Worth of Important Ideas Spread over 396 Below-Par Pages.......2007-07-01
This book contains important ideas that if implemented well can change the atmosphere of the workplace and reap significant beneficial changes. However, it is a rather poorly organized, repetitive, poorly written book. So if $45 is chump change that you're going to expense to your company anyway, buy it. If $45 is a lot of money, then don't. Go read what's available at Google's book section and you'll know 80% of what the book contains.
Basically I give it 3 stars. An average of 5 stars for the idea. 1 star for the book.
The basic idea is this:
* The best people to ask about how to improve how work gets done are the people who do the work not the people they report to.
* If you can create an environment that allows people to feel that offering ways they can improve their own method of working without fear of being seen as a critic, heretic or fool you will get a lot of creative input.
* Impose the constraint the the change must be something that the person can do themselves, to improve their own way of working.
* Make it clear that it's okay if the change does not work as expected.
* Make it clear that we learn more from analyzing why something did not work than we do from analyzing why something did work.
* Encourage people to try something else if the first suggestion does not work.
* Encourage people to write down their suggestions.
* Implement a system that reviews and says yes/no to the suggestion within one working day of it being written and submitted.
* Keep all the suggestions and their effects in a location where everyone can see them and learn from both the items that worked and did not work.
Honestly that's pretty much it. But the fact that it's a simple, easy concept to describe doesn't mean it's a simple, easy thing to implement. You're really talking about instigating a fundamental change in the work culture.
Nearly all companies do not work like this. Most companies pay lip service to the intellectual capital of their staff. This is a line cribbed from another location but in essence what is being said is "Every Pair of Hands comes with a Free Brain". Treat your people with empathy and respect and you will nearly always be surprised at how well people respond - it's amazing but they might even start treating you with empathy and respect as a result - how about that?
Footnote: "The Toyota Way" is the one book on this whole area of revolutionizing the workspace that I heartily recommend. It's a entirely different way of working, and "Kaizen" is just one part.
A Quick and Easy Read.......2007-04-24
I believe that "Quick and Easy Kaizen" offers the potential for a revolution in developing a fully participative and involved workforce. Whereas traditional "suggestion schemes" are bureaucratic and costly, often taking weeks to feedback to the individual, and taking the idea out of the responsibility of the originator and giving it to managers, the "Quick and Easy Kaizen" route is a simple workplace based process where the individual (or team) implements most of their own ideas. The book focusses on the sort of simple ideas that arise as part of our work - by learning we do things better and improve - that is Quick and Easy Kaizen. At 350 pages the book seems daunting, but it is actually very easy to read, and repeats its key points over and over (they are important points). The book is packed with anecdotes and examples. The whole focus is on encouraging staff to raise simple ideas and implement them themselves. The author doesn't have the best writing style ever, and the structure of the book is fairly random, with lots of repetition, but it is an important concept and worth reading for that. If you are serious about improving involvement in your workplace then you should read this book.
Very Useful.......2005-09-23
I am actually using this book to help me implement a Kaizen program in a Fortune 500 company. It's useful and quite a good book. The author has been very helpful!
A profound approach to empowering your employees.......2004-12-22
The Quick and Easy Kaizen system recognizes that every worker has hidden creative talent locked inside of them. Toyota successfully harnesses employee innovation, with over 1.5 million employee suggestions implemented each year. This represents about $300 million in annual savings that go straight to the bottom line. In his book, Norman Bodek discusses how the Quick and Easy Kaizen system becomes a powerful tool for bringing forth numerous small but significant improvement ideas from all employees.
A cultural transformation powered by employee commitment to continuous improvement is critical to your lean journey. Our clients have found Mr. Bodek to be an inspiring and effective resource, providing the experience, inspiration, and tools for a cultural transformation to continuous improvement. In addition to being a LEAN Affiliate, Mr. Bodek is the founder of Productivity Inc. / Productivity Press and has published over 400 books including 100 Japanese books in English. In 1988 he initiated the Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence.
Mark Edmondson
President
www.LEANaffiliates.com
Fundamentals for improvements in operating effectiveness.......2001-09-12
For quite a long time, I try to figure out a strategy that can support the three generic ones such as low cost, differentiation and focus scope and go beyond for a corporate. Bunji Tozawa and Norman Bodek's The Idea Generator: Quick and Easy Kaizen offers a fundamental solution for my question. It did convince me why small, continuous, and alternative-seeking changes can benefit companies as well as individuals in them. Further, by volumes of examples and how-to information, I found their way matching the core idea in complex adaptive system theory: Creating an impact sensitive and interaction friendly environment in an organization can trigger more effectiveness than simply summing up the individual efforts respectively. They prove that by accumulating quick and easy improvements, the power and profit Kaizen activities result in will go beyond our imagination. I love this book and highly recommend it to the management level and frontline people in an organization together work for their viable future.
Amazon.com
In the revised and updated edition of Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, authors James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones provide a thoughtful expansion upon their value-based business system based on the Toyota model. Along the way they update their action plan in light of new research and the increasing globalization of manufacturing, and they revisit some of their key case studies (most of which still derive, however, from the automotive, aerospace, and other manufacturing industries).
The core of the lean model remains the same in the new edition. All businesses must define the "value" that they produce as the product that best suits customer needs. The leaders must then identify and clarify the "value stream," the nexus of actions to bring the product through problems solving, information management, and physical transformation tasks. Next, "lean enterprise" lines up suppliers with this value stream. "Flow" traces the product across departments. "Pull" then activates the flow as the business re-orients towards the pull of the customer's needs. Finally, with the company reengineered towards its core value in a flow process, the business re-orients towards "perfection," rooting out all the remaining muda (Japanese for "waste") in the system.
Despite the authors' claims to "actionable principles for creating lasting value in any business during any business conditions," the lean model is not demonstrated with broad applications in the service or retail industries. But those manager's whose needs resonate with those described in the Lean Thinking case studies will find a host of practical guidelines for streamlining their processes and achieving manufacturing efficiencies. --Patrick O'Kelley
Book Description
Expanded, updated, and more relevant than ever, the bestselling business classic by two internationally renowned management theorists shows how companies of any size in any industry can seize opportunities in the post-bubble economy.
Lean Thinking begins by helping listeners to identify value, asking, "What does the customer really want?" instead of "What can we try to convince the customer to accept?" Lean thinkers then identify the value stream -- every step required to move a specific good or service from initial concept into the hands of the customer -- for each product and ask if each step really creates value. Those that don't -- the great majority -- are then removed, and the remaining steps are conducted in continuous flow at the pull of the customer, as the firm manages toward perfection. As a consequence, lead times, costs of all sorts, and defects shrink, while responsiveness to customer needs and selling prices increase.
In an economic downturn, many companies are searching desperately for a sustainable formula for renewed growth and success. Lean Thinking is that formula -- a proven blueprint and specific action plan that will help any company stabilize its position and grow steadily while better serving its customers, employees, suppliers, and investors.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting book but very dull........2007-08-27
I found this book to be interesting, but I hard trouble finishing it because the writing was so boring. Despite the dullness the book did get me thinking of product in a different way.
Womack and Jones, very engaging........2007-08-26
Lean Thinking- A very well written account of a long study of the theory of customer driven value thinking. The elimination of waste in accomplishing customer driven trade is the main goal of this theory. The book has been tuned over a series of revisions, so it is well polished. While I am no expert on the topic, I can at least attest to the fact that the volume is well written and referenced. Their views are spread over a period of many years, giving them the benefit of tracking case study performance over the long term. Companies both large and small have been studied and tracked to determine the benefits of these theories.
Worth Every Penny.......2007-07-30
A most readable book on an important subject of productivity. The comment on outsourcing is insightful and the emphasis on human element is so crucial. Productivity is not all about bigger and better machines but about management and employee been willing to take risks to think out of a box. Mr. Womack has made a significant contribution to the on-going dicussion of productivity in a globalized world.
My husband loved it.......2007-04-10
My husband loved this book so much that this was actually purchased as a gift for another man in his office.
Excellent Book with Detailed Lean Conversion Techniques .......2007-02-01
This book provides many case studies of companies outside of the auto industry that converted to lean production. It details the personnel changes they had to make, changes in factory layout, differences in the supply chain and much more. Where "The Machine that Changed the World" was a primer to lean production, "Lean Thinking" is more of a how-to book. Together, they make a great pair and provide a fairly in-depth view of the subject. As in, "The Machine that Changed the World", there is plenty of hard data to back up the claims that these companies improved after switching to lean thinking.
I am a college student majoring in mechanical engineering and read this book and "The Machine that Changed the World" to get a broad understanding of lean production. The two books did just that and even gave me many ideas on how to convert a student organization I am involved with (SAE) to more of a lean organization. As much as possible anyway.
Book Description
Written by the first of a new breed of ``quality gurus,'' Fourth Generation Management is a clear, concise synthesis of the best of current management practice and a host of dynamic prescriptions for the future. The centerpiece of the book is the ``Joiner Triangle'', which provides readers with a conceptual framework upon which to build a new corporate culture--one that positions companies for growing productivity and profit in the years ahead. Focusing on quality as defined by the customer. . .a scientific, databased approach to management. . .and the creation of long-term, team-spirited relationships both internally and externally--the Joiner Triangle is already gaining credence as the management philosophy of tomorrow. And that's only the beginning. Readers will learn why process is more important than short-term results, how to foster a working environment in which all employees feel like winners, a new way of looking at data, processes, and variation, and much more. In short, this major release by a widely respected quality improvement leader is the business person's blueprint for the next phase of the ``Quality Revolution.''
Customer Reviews:
I highly recommend this book .......2007-09-09
Brian Joiner really captures the key concepts leaders need to understand to lead their businesses today. His explanation of variation should open many eyes and help many businesses avoid over-correction and over-compensation for what is just occurring. And that is just one of the many useful concepts this book provides.
This book is a classic and should be core to business school curricula.
All businesses have costs but waste is optional........2007-08-22
This is an excellent book, with many breakthrough ideas explained in a very compelling way.
I recommend this book for practitioners working with Lean, Systems thinking or general operational improvement, however, if you are into six-sigma you will not understand the profound knowledge this book contains.
There are a many reasons why I like this book, it has some memorable insights and phrases. Such as `don't work on costs, work on the causes of costs'.
Joiner also highlights how most managers manage their business without any theory behind their actions.. `We should be thankful if the action of management is based on theory...'
Joiner relentlessly pushes the notion that organisations must be `understood and managed as a `system', while developing process thinking, making decisions on customer data and understanding the theory of variation'.
He then goes on to say that the typical management response to calls for improvement is to either 1) distort the system or 2) distort the figures instead of improving the system.
Most people in the world of operational improvement will have come across the Deming PDCA (Plan Do Check Act) cycle, Joiner explains and supports this process very well but he adds a significant insight, what he says is, that when starting to make improvements you must start at CHECK, in fact he devotes a whole chapter to this important variation on Deming's PDCA theme. `Performing check is what most organisations fail to do. Check uncovers things we would just as soon not know, it forces us to look at the huge wastes in each of our activities and exposes it all, and the non productive or plain stupid things we have unknowingly been doing for years. It creates the gut level energy to do a better job of taking Action, of Planning and Doing'.
Joiner states that `a fundamental tenant is that nothing happens in a predictable, sustainable way unless you build mechanisms that cause it to happen in a predictable sustained way'
He talks about listening to management conversations for insights into the organisations real intent and focus he says ... `The way top management spends its time and the questions they ask of each other and the rest of the organisation is critical in determining the focus of the organisation.'
The book goes on to explain how to reduce process variation, the sections about how managers respond to variation would be amusing if they were not real, i.e. how managers work on the people instead of working on the system and the injustice that results in addition to the loss in organisational performance.
A good example of system variation resulting in perverse decisions and behaviour is illustrated by an example Joiner uses in telling a real story about a bank teller, who on several occasions got rewarded for her performance and at other times chastised....finally, she was unlucky enough to loose her job. Later, when talking to a friend she said that she never understood why she being praised because she hadn't done anything different and likewise the chastisement. Further conversation revealed that she had been a victim of system variation, the performance factors were attributed to her and not where they should have been that is to the system in which she worked. Essentially she had lost the Variation Lottery. He quotes Dr. Lloyd Nelson `failure to understand variation is the central problem of management'
Joiner also wallops the inappropriate use of standards (accreditation schemes like ISO and BSI) because they are a barrier to improvement and creativity. He argues that standards far from improving the organisation often result in a loss of performance. `They stifle creativity, deflect attention from customers, increase red tape and make work inflexible, while providing only the minimum acceptable outputs'
When it comes to people motivation he states that `to optimise the organisation as a whole, intrinsic motivation works better that rewards and punishment'
Finally he states that in order to get `better results you must have better methods' and he goes on to explain what those methods are.
This is a fine book, with excellent practical ideas as long as you see people as an asset capable of improving their own workplace and not as a cost to be `managed'.
A Good Read!.......2001-03-20
To survive in today's business environment, it's not enough to just keep improving - you have to do it faster than the other guy does. Brian L. Joiner provides valuable direction in how to get better faster. This approach transcends goal-based management by focusing on the needs of the customer. Only then do apparent contradictions between customer service and cost-cutting become manageable again. The author admits that the teachings of management guru W. Edwards Deming heavily influences his advice. We at getAbstract recommend this very helpful work to managers searching for a more enlightened, more effective approach. It will be particularly useful for those who need a strong rationale to do what they already think is right.
Practical and Realistic.......2000-03-01
Joiner, being Deming's former protégé, has not let the latter down by the technical content of this book. It is straightforward and realistic in its teachings and does not glorify the illustrious side of 'Quality' and its affiliated managerial principles. Most managers should find it relatively easy and practical enough to apply.
A manual well written.
I wish every senior manager would read this book........1999-09-16
While I think the title "Fourth Generation Management" overstates its impact, I wish every senior manager in corporate America would read this book. Many of today's larger corporations are filled with managers so busy fighting for their own promotion (or survival) that their decisions and actions fail to move the organization towards its goals. Adding to the problem is a general laziness in the thought processes displayed by many career-minded individuals. Further compounding the problem is the mindless tampering that always seems to backfire, resulting in increased costs and waste. In this very readable book, Brian Joiner provides solid explanations for these phenomena and offers insight into how to address these issues. As a management consultant, I often recommend this book to my clients. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me - adamleft@webspan.net.
Book Description
An end to the misunderstandings of W. Edwards Deming's work--the book that finally provides a relationship between his ideas and the way businesses should be run.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Book on Deming and Baldridge Award.......2007-01-06
This is an awesome book on Deming Philosophy and gives a great comparison between Deming and the Malcolm Baldridge award.
I have studied Deming for 16 years (I've read his two books and over 14 others written about his philosophy). I also own the Deming libary volume 1-9 and the Deming 4 day seminar on DVD.
What's great about the book is that authors spent time with Deming over many years of his life getting to know him and trying to distill his teachings into something that common people could understand. The result is a book that is weak on statistics but gives a great introduction and summary of Demings philosophy for someone new to or experienced with Deming. It's Deming philosophy for the masses.
An Easy Read & Good Orientation to the Topic.......2002-02-16
This book or one similar should be a required first reading for those interested in more than keeping quality records. It orients the reader to the true driving force behind quality movements--burning desire for customer satisfaction. Have a copy or two in your facility library and make sure your new employees read at least the first 4-5 chapters.
A further description of the Deming Management Method.......1998-06-12
Dr. Deming called Dobyns and Crawford-Mason "the broadcasters and clarifiers of [his] message for a larger audience." Their book and PBS series Quality or Else introduced the general public to the Deming Management Method.
Examples of successes across a wide range of organizations........1998-02-27
Drawing on their extensive work to produce the documentary "If Japan Can, Why Can't We?," the authors provide excellent examples of successes from quality focused organizations across the spectrum, including education and government. A good read for skeptics. A good motivator for those working through challenges.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Engineering Economist, published by Institute of Industrial Engineers, Inc. (IIE) on June 22, 1994. The length of the article is 1256 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Breakthrough Thinking in Total Quality Management.
Author: Thomas (African American football player) Johnson
Publication:
Engineering Economist (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1994
Publisher: Institute of Industrial Engineers, Inc. (IIE)
Volume: v39
Issue: n4
Page: p363(5)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Product Description
A major rewrite of Dettmer's classic Goldratt's Theory of Constraints, this new edition presents a whole new approach to building and applying logic trees. The logical thinking process referred to in the title is nothing less than a broadly applicable, systems-level approach to policy analysis. Dettmer has streamlined the process of constructing the logic trees while simultaneously ensuring that the results are more logically sound and closer representations of reality than ever before. He explains an easier, more logically sound way to integrate Current Reality Trees with Evaporating Clouds. His new version of the thinking process "retires" the Transition Tree in favor of the marriage of a more detailed Prerequisite Tree and critical chain project management. This book contains new examples of logic trees from a variety of real-world applications. Most of the diagrams and illustrations are new and improved. Explanations and procedures for constructing the logic trees are considerably simplified. Completely new to this edition is a unique graphical software application - Transformation Logic Trees, designed primarily to create thinking process logic trees and only secondarily for other flowcharting uses. Provided on the accompanying CD-ROM is a full-function, unrestricted copy of version 1.0 for new and experienced users of the thinking process alike to use in building their logic trees. Appendix J in the book provides more information on how to install and use the software.
Customer Reviews:
The absolute best book on Logical Thinking.......2007-09-23
I own every book Dettmer has written (or co-authored). This is hands down the best. Most thorough. Must own. Ever. Period.
Just skimming the various appendices will amaze! If you did not already know it, building "logic trees" is a lot of work. Hard work. But Dettmer streamlines some of that effort by sharing new insights gained from teaching the Logical Thinking Process for the last ten years. You could say that this revision to Goldratt's Theory of Contraints is at least 25% new material. Maybe as much as 30-35%!
Plus, the material on effecting change is a huge bonus. Talking about Col. John Boyd and his OODA Loop; Jim Collins and Level 5 Leadership (and more), this book is the one Dettmer book to own, if you must limit your spending.
-ski
The best treatment ever written on Goldratt's Logical Thinking Process.......2007-09-21
The most comprehensive, easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to finding real solutions to problems I face in business every day. Dettmer has created the definitive guide for applying Goldratt's Logical Thinking Process. The book is loaded with great examples and presents a much more streamlined approach to building the logic trees, including the Current & Future Reality Tree, Conflict Cloud and the Prerequisite and Transition Trees. Additionally, Dettmer introduces and details how to build the most useful tool I've ever used in business, the Intermediate Objective Map, which helps Managers define where they want to be (the goal), to compare against where they are today.
If you really want to find the key leverage points to fundamentally improve your business, this book will give you all the tools you need to achieve your goal.
5+ Stars
Average customer rating:
|
Total Management Thinking
SULTAN KERMALLY
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Quality Control
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0750626143 |
Book Description
Total Management Thinking is a unique guide to the dominant theories influencing management practice in the late 20th century. In a refreshing and straightforward manner, this book provides a critical insight into key management initiatives and shows how they have changed the nature of the workplace.
The author comments: 'In my job I have come across thousands of business executives who have attended leading edge management conferences and training programmes. The topic of conversation always boils down to the following key aspects of business:
- we cannot cope with the various management fads and thinking that are proliferating in the business world
- do these management ideas work in practice and what types of organizations have applied them?
- wouldn't it be nice to have all these issues addressed in one book?'
Uniquely, Total Management Thinking begins and ends with a mock internal 'memo' - one from the CEO to employees, full of suspect platitudes about people being 'our greatest asset' despite redundancy programmes. The response from employees is a plea for less 'organizational schizophrenia' and more courage from the top team.
Total Management Thinking looks at:
*Total quality management *Benchmarking *Delivering service excellence *Business process re-engineering *Performance measurement *Empowerment *The horizontal organization *The learning organization *Teaming for business success *The knowledge era.
Through practical examples and first hand observations from case studies and managers at the chalk face, Kermally goes beyond the jargon to create a common-sense guide.
Sultan Kermally is the senior Vice President and the Director of the Economist Conferences. Formerly he was a Senior Group Director at Management Centre Europe, Brussels. He designs conferences on leading edge management issues such as Benchmarking, Empowerment, Process Re-engineering etc. He is also a part-time lecturer at Durham University Business School.
Author is the Senior Vice President and Director of the Economist Conferences
Critical overview of Management Thinking
Accessible, down-to-earth approach and features first-hand views from managers
Books:
- The Laboratory Quality Assurance System: A Manual of Quality Procedures and Forms
- The Lean Manufacturing Pocket Handbook
- The Lean Manufacturing Pocket Handbook
- The Lean Manufacturing Pocket Handbook
- The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed
- The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed
- The Little SAS Book: A Primer, Third Edition
- The Memory Jogger II
- The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition
- The Restaurant Managers Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Employment Law for Business
- The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors
- Lucio Fulci: Beyond the Gates
- Minima Moralia: Reflections on a Damaged Life
- The Art of Project Management
- The Undomestic Goddess
- The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Silver on the Tree; The Grey King; Greenwitch; The Dark Is Rising; and
- Initial Public Offerings: Findings and Theories
- Money for Nothing: Real Wealth, Financial Fantasies and the Economy of the Future
- Race Rebels : Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class
The Idea Generator: Quick and Easy Kaizen (Workbook)
Kaikaku: The Power and Magic of Lean
All You Gotta Do Is Ask
The Kaizen Pocket Handbook
The Toyota Way
