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
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,...
Industry 4.0 or Lean 4.0?
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...
Is Lean an outcome…or what you do?
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...
Magical Thinking
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...
Whimsical Reflections Lean Summit Africa 2018
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...
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News
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...
Take your life in your hands
We owe a great deal to Ignaz Semmelweis. ‘Ignaz who?’, you might well ask. Tragically, despite what we owe him, his discovery cost him dearly. He died in dreadful and humiliating circumstances, scorned by his medical peers, and confined in a lunatic asylum through the...
Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic – a short message from our CEO
We find ourselves in a very challenging time, and we are all, in one way or another, feeling the impact of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. I wanted to reach out to our Lean Community and send my good wishes to you and your families for good health and grit at a...
14 things I wish I knew when I started my Lean Journey
Wishing you a Happy New Year and a prosperous 2020! I thought it might be a nice start to the year by sharing some key insights I wish I had known when I started on my Lean journey. There are 14 on my list (for now - I'm sure there's a lot more learning...
Lean for Doctors
By: John Toussaint John E. Billi Mark Graban Download article
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