1. | Sep 3, 2013

Hi! This is my 1st comment here so I just wnaetd to givea quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading through your posts.Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that coverthe same subjects? Thanks a ton!

2. | Sep 1, 2013

Mark:Thanks, as always, for hotsnig this conversation, and great to see Nestor join in. Nestor and I (and a few others!) completed a great 3 day mapping exercise on the 30th, and when I spotted your post the next day (great timing!), I forwarded it to the team. You captured their experience well! This is the second step in their lean deployment (we did some introductory work recently) and it meant a great deal to them to see that their experience is shared beyond the walls of their business. The magic of yokoten.You didn't dwell on the power of envisioning the ideal future state together and building the work plan for the period ahead. Too often I hear about mapping exercises that stop at current state and I feel (get mad?) that the facilitator has really let people down. We have our aha moments mapping the current state, watching the value stream together, but it gets really exciting when we see what the new normal can be, and map the path to get there. Regards from Bogote1!

3. | Aug 5, 2013

Another situation with qsoituens that also needs to be guarded against is asking qsoituens only until we get the answer we want. This type of manipulation can be done without being overly suggestive in how the question is asked. At the moment, the associates will feel like the idea is theirs, but ownership will be lost in the long run as associates realize they were manipulated through the questioning.Also, it is important to continue asking qsoituens even if the associate's answer is correct. That allows them to think deeper and to understand the Whys behind their answer not just the Whats . However, if a leader is known to be manipulative in their questioning as above, they will become suspicious of the qsoituens and the learning opportunities are lost.

4. | Aug 1, 2013

I want to start with the statement that I am bisead 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.

5. | Jul 15, 2013

I want to start with the statement that I am bsaied 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.