Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth on Visual Workplace and Visual Thinking *

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/26

Remastered July 2021

Episode #26 of the LeanBlog Podcast brings us Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth, of the Visual Lean Institute. She is the author, most recently of the book Visual Workplace, Visual Thinking: Creating Enterprise Excellence Through the Technologies of the Visual Workplace.

Ironically enough, we will be using this audio-only format to discuss visual methods in the workplace and how that ties into Lean and the Toyota Production System. Her book has hundreds of color photos and illustrations of effective visual methods, so if you find this discussion helpful, I hope will follow up with the book. The book is an inventive and unique approach to visual management and helping people work more effectively. One small thing I really appreciate is how her case studies and examples from factories always have a photo of one of the value-adding associates who was involved in the work.

Show Notes, Links, and Keywords Episode #26

• Norman Bodek, visual workplace, poka yoke, visual guarantees, visual order, visual inventiveness, visuality
• “I-Driven”: Knowing what information that individual needs to work well
• Borders, home addresses, ID labels
• Right angles aren't necessarily the best for workplace layouts
• “Information deficits” are the symptom, deficits cause waste and “motion without working”
• Six categories of missing information: the missing “where,” the missing “what,” etc.
• Video training system
• The counter productive 5S initiative that we discussed (previous blog link)
• “The obedience paradigm” versus empowering people
• The older, existing website
• Forum on the new website