Knowledge Centre
Links
See links to various online resources to learn more about Lean Thinking and Practice both locally and globally.
We are constantly learning so please let us know if you find any other sites you think should be added.
Research
Most research conducted by the Lean Institute Africa is done in association with MBA students of the UCT Graduate School of Business. To access free copies of MBA research reports, please contact GSB. Here is a recent list of Lean-related Research Reports.
Books
The Lean Institute Africa is the local, authorised distributor of the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) in the USA and as such, distributes books, DVDs and training materials on their behalf.
Newsletters, Articles and Webinars
Why Best Practices Fail to Spread
By John S. Toussaint, MD, and Montgomery “Monk” Elmer, MD This is taken from the Catalysis website, with permission from Dr John Toussaint and Dr Montgomery Elmer, the authors: "The spread of “best practices” is important in today’s rapidly evolving health care...
Lean helps save lives in South Africa
FEATURE – Only when we go where the action is, do we begin to truly understand the work. Rose Heathcote joins the Emergency Medical Services in Cape Town for a day. Words: Rose Heathcote, who took part in the ride along while she was CEO of Lean Institute Africa. How...
Taking the lean leap in private healthcare
INTERVIEW – A private healthcare group in South Africa has carefully studied the unique challenges it faces and customized its approach to improvement accordingly, embarking on a lean journey to better patient care. Interviewee: Sharon Vasuthevan, Nursing and Quality...
Leading large-scale lean change
INTERVIEW – Rose Keanly discusses the role of lean in a strategic business transformation in the financial services sector and the dos and don’ts of bringing lean to a large organization. Rose Heathcote: What triggered the need for a transformation at Old Mutual? Rose...
Buy-in, Do-in, Stay-in
In our work with organisations and people embarking on the Lean Transformation Journey we often hear people say that “buy-in” by top management is an essential success factor. Indeed, research confirms that top management commitment is a critical success factor for...
Kaizen in Africa – A trip to Tunisia
“It is impossible to overestimate the importance of 5S,” he said. “Really?” I asked myself. The CEO of a major Japanese process improvement consultancy told me this in 1992, in Nagoya. What do you think? Is it that significant in driving improvement and the ‘Kaizen...
Leratong Hospital: Reflecting on our lean healthcare journey
The CEO of a hospital in Johannesburg looks back to the last five years to reflect on a lean healthcare transformation that is creating positive outcomes for patients. The South African healthcare industry must look after 53.7 million people, 84% of them in the public...
African Kaizen Awards
Our Chairman, UCT Graduate School of Business Emeritus Professor, Norman Faull, will be one of the judges of the African Kaizen Awards (AKA) Examination Committee. The Awards are part of the African Kaizen Conference 2019, organised by JICA and NEPAD, taking place in...
A crazy little thing called change
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...
Why we believe a strong customer focus is needed to drive a Lean strategy
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,...
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News
Covid19 and the C-5 lens
All of us have been working intensely, rethinking our businesses in the C-19 world. Reflecting on the Lean Institute Africa and our work with several companies (and our involvement in the UCT Graduate School of Business MBA classes!), I’ve been looking to sharpen...
Mapping Uncharted Waters Webinar with Dr Robert Campbell
Thank you for joining us for our webinar on the topic "Mapping Uncharted Waters" with Dr. Robert Campbell, CEO of Nurture Health.If you missed the webinar, or would like to watch again, you can view the recording below And here are the slides.IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE A...
How to embed improvement into your organisation using the Daily Management System – Webinar Recording & slides
Thank you for joining us for our webinar on the topic "How to embed Improvement in your organisation with the Daily Management System" with Dr. Anton Grutter. If you missed the webinar, or would like to watch again, you can view the recording below And here are...
Managing Remote Teams & the Lean Management Journey Webinar Recording & slides
Thank you for joining us for our first-ever webinar on the topic "Managing Remote Teams & the Lean Management Journey" with Prof. Norman Faull and CEO of Radiant Law, Alex Hamilton. If you missed the webinar, or would like to watch again, you can view the...
Relentless Leadership. In a Time of Crisis.
‘Relentless leadership’ was the theme for our Lean Summit Africa 2014. It was a theme that arose from conversations I’d had with Toyota personnel. They wanted me to know that the drive for improvement was relentless, and driven by their leaders. It reminded me of my...
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