COLUMN – In her first column, the author reflects on the role of leadership in striking a balance between the enthusiasm for change and the need to involve everyone in a transformation. Words: Rose Heathcote, CEO, Lean Institute Africa I had a terrific time this past...

Is there any principle more core to the heart of lean than relentlessly focusing on the customer? How many companies have strayed from customer focus as their strategic North Star? Who cannot tell at least one story of poor customer service, irritating chatboxes,...

Atlantis Foundries was able to achieve zero defects for three months in a row thanks to machine learning. Here's why the human component can't be discounted. Cape Town is sometimes called the “Silicon Valley of South Africa”. Yet, it was a pleasant surprise to learn...

For a while I have been thinking about the possible impact of using the name Lean to describe the activities or programme to transform an organisation into the new way of working and thinking. It felt serendipitous then, that shortly after pondering this I came across...

Try telling a friend you have come across some ‘magical thinking’? What reaction might you get? Will they ask, ‘You mean like in mushrooms?’ or ‘As in Elon Musk or Richard Branson?’ I first heard the term in a very different context, used by someone who was once...

Some say that insight comes when we remember something valuable after forgetting what we were taught. What value has come back to you after forgetting the ‘gems’ of the Summit of four months ago? Not trusting my memory, I have rummaged through my notes, and the slides...

A recurring bone of contention between different schools of thought about performance measurement in the improvement world is the debate about quantitative versus qualitative analysis. Mark Graban’s recent book Measures of Success is an example...

Rose Heathcote, Lean Institute Africa CEO, contributed to this piece by the 'Lean Sensei Women' published on the Lean Post. "In our new Digital era, some dream of people-free production lines. First because machines are expected to do repetitive and complex tasks in a...

An initiative to improve staff efficiency and reduce patient waiting times in Gauteng has proved to be a success.In 2015 the Lean Institute was asked to implement the principles of 'lean management' at four of Gauteng’s largest...

The Lean Institute Africa is a non-profit company with the aim of promoting Lean Management in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are a specialised unit of the Graduate School of Business (UCT). Rose Heathcote is the CEO of the Lean Institute Africa. She...