Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership

Rachel Mandel, MD MHA, on Lean for Physicians and Health Systems

http://www.leanblog.org/367
 
Joining me for Episode #367 of the podcast is Dr. Rachel Mandel, a self-described "healthcare whisperer" and Washington D.C.-based consultant for healthcare organizations. She has her own practice and also works as a Senior Healthcare Advisor for Operational Performance Solutions, Inc.
 
She is, of course, a physician (OB-GYN) and previously served as the Vice President of Medical Affairs for a health system in Maryland. Read her full bio here.
 
We recorded this podcast in late February 2020, so much has changed since then. We'll be doing a follow up podcast next week where we'll discuss some of the leadership (and organizational) challenges that health systems face now during the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Today, we'll talk about her experiences with Lean and how she is an advocate for this methodology, especially around the important issues of safety and quality.
 

Harry Moser on the COVID-19 Supply Chain Wake-Up Call, Reshoring, and Lean

http://www.leanblog.org/366 
My guest for Episode #366 is Harry Moser, founder of the Reshoring Initiative. We talk about “reshoring,” in general, and why that's such an important issue in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
Harry definitely falls into the category of guests where I wonder, “Why haven't I had this person on the show before?” Harry and his work have been on my radar for a long time. I appreciate the mission and I wish more companies would consider the “Total Cost” (and old Dr. Deming concept) when making manufacturing site location and sourcing decisions instead of focusing only on “unit cost” or “landed cost” (which includes freight and taxes).
“The mission of the Reshoring Initiative® is to bring good, well-paying manufacturing jobs back to the United States by assisting companies to more accurately assess their total cost of offshoring, and shift collective thinking from offshoring is cheaper to local reduces the total cost of ownership. “
Harry was inducted into the Industry Week Manufacturing Hall of Fame in 2010, based on his long career in manufacturing. He founded the Reshoring Initiative in 2010. Be sure to check out the TCO Estimator tool that he discusses in the episode.
“Most companies make sourcing decisions based solely on price, oftentimes resulting in a 20 to 30 percent miscalculation of actual offshoring costs.”
The Reshoring Initiative Website
Harry's LinkedIn Profile
@HarryMoser on Twitter
@ReshoreNow on Twitter
The Total Cost of Ownership Estimator
Listeners have probably heard of “offshoring” but what is “reshoring”?
Why “reshoring”?
What is “nearshoring” and is that nearly as good?
Tell us about the history of your organization, the Reshoring Initiative…
Why should our current Covid-19 crisis be a “wake up call” about where goods are manufactured?
Do you think it's fair when analysts or the media blame “just in time” for shortages of goods and equipment during this crisis (in healthcare or retail)? Why or why not?
Can Lean take out enough waste to make a high-labor manufacturing site competitive with U.S. wages?
Dan Markovitz question (paraphrasing): Is moving production back to the US easier said than done if we don't have the skills or the supply base here anymore?
How can we help companies (and investors) realize that “lowest total cost” is the goal, not “lowest labor cost” or “lowest piece price cost”?
Why have companies miscalculated when doing the math about moving production to China?
How can companies use TCO to increase sales?
Can you give some past examples of reshoring and the benefits?
What can/should the government do to accelerate the reshoring trend?

Dan Markovitz, "The Conclusion Trap"

Mark Graban interviews Dan Markovitz about his new book. http://www.leanblog.org/365
Joining me again for Episode #365 is Dan Markovitz, now a five-time guest (but he doesn't get a special jacket like SNL).
The reason for getting together was to chat about his latest book, "The Conclusion Trap: Four Steps to Better Decisions," now available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats.
Why do people jump to conclusions (or solutions), often looking to “shiny new technology, reorganizations, or spending more money” as Dan asks? Why is it better to spend more time on a good problem statement? What's the difference between data and facts? When should we ask questions and when is it OK to make suggestions? When is it OK to “just do it” and when do we need to be more rigorous in setting up our experiments?
Dan and I are good friends, so the conversation veers into a breakdown of the show “Bar Rescue” and the problem-solving and leadership methods illustrated there. This is almost an episode of “Lean Whiskey” but there was no whiskey involved.
I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Mitch Cahn on Lean and Pivoting to Shields & Gowns at Unionwear

 
Joining me for Episode #364 is a returning guest, Mitch Cahn, the president of Unionwear, a Newark-based company. Back in Episode #234, we talked about how Lean manufacturing has helped them be competitive in the labor-intensive apparel industry, sewing goods in a union shop.
 
Today (in an episode that is also a video podcast), Mitch tells us how, a month ago, orders for political campaign hats and items evaporated as the Democratic presidential field consolidated. So, Unionwear needed to pivot and they started calling hospitals to find out how they might be able to help by making personal protective equipment (PPE) to help in the Covid-19 crisis.
 
In the episode, you'll hear about the creation (and continued refinement) of face shields and gowns. These items were made using materials that they normally used for hats, backpacks, and plastic binders. Mitch also talks about how they've had to adapt their factory for social distancing and how some employees are sewing at home (and what they need to do to support the flow of materials and products). We'll also discuss how Lean methods have helped them in this new journey.
 

Crystal Y. Davis on the Business Impact of Covid-19, and More

http://www.leanblog.org/363
For Episode #363, I'm joined by Crystal Davis as we discuss:
What are you seeing in terms of how Covid-19 is disrupting businesses?
How do we move from crisis mode, to survival mode, to recovery mode?
Why do we need courageous leadership during these challenging times?
This is also the first video podcast that I've done in a while. See the show notes page for the video: HTTP://www.leanblog.org/363
We share a background as industrial engineers who started our Lean careers at General Motors, and we both moved on to do work with other types of businesses.
Crystal has many roles today: The Lean Coach, Inc. - Founder, CEO, Principal Lean Practitioner; DisruptHER Coach; Managing Partner at MPlus Her website is http://theleancoachinc.com/. 
I hope you enjoy the conversation!
 

Adam Lawrence on Kaizen Events & The Wheel of Sustainability

http://www.leanblog.org/362
 
My guest for Episode #362 is Adam Lawrence, managing partner with Process Improvement Partners LLC.
 
He's an industrial engineer who had a long career working with TQM, Six Sigma, and Lean at Thomasvile Furniture and other Armstrong World Industries companies.
 
Today, we'll talk about setting kaizen events up for success with effective charter documents and team selection. What's the role of leadership? Adam will also talk about the "wheel of sustainability" (scroll down for an image and a PDF that he provided).
 
Adam will also mention a free virtual workshop that he's doing on Monday, April 6th. It was supposed to be done in person at a conference... but given the current circumstances, he's trying to make lemons into lemonade and I appreciate that he's offering up that opportunity for folks.
 

Ask Docs Anything on Covid-19 / Coronavirus

http://www.leanblog.org/361
 
Episode #361 of the podcast is admittedly not about Lean, but it's an important topic that I think needs to be shared in these times.
 
I'm sharing audio that came from a KaiNexus webinar yesterday that we called "Ask Docs Anything" and the topic was, of course, coronavirus and Covid-19. We put out a call for questions and got more than 100 questions for our customers and our community.
 
For the webinar, we focused the questions mainly on personal health and things you can (or must) do to protect your families and others in society. If you'd rather read synopsis answers to the questions, you can do so here. The video of the session is also embedded in that page, or it's also available through YouTube.
 
You can also find more links to resources, articles, and information through this page.
 

@LeahBinder of @LeapfrogGroup on Coronavirus Prep & #PatientSafety Progress

 http://www.leanblog.org/360
Returning for Episode #360 of the podcast is Leah Binder, the president and CEO of Leapfrog Group. We last talked four years ago in Episode #240 about the patient safety crisis and efforts to improve. 
Today, we'll talk about hospitals' preparation for the Covid-19 / Coronavirus threat. Read her statement on this topic and stay tuned for announcements about free webinars and resources that Leapfrog Group will be providing.
We'll also discuss safety (and the lack of reporting and data) in the outpatient (ambulatory) surgery setting -- where 60% of procedures are done today in the U.S. We'll also talk about the progress that's been made in the last four years on the patient safety front, in general. 
Please check out Leapfrog Group and their Hospital Safety Score website. How does your hospital measure up? How do the hospitals in your community compare? What can hospitals be doing to close their gaps so they get an "A"? How can large businesses who pay for healthcare and have their employees' interest in mind, like manufacturers, help put positive pressure on healthcare to improve?
 

Alfred Angerer on Lean Healthcare in Switzerland

 
My guest for Episode #359 of the podcast is Prof. Dr. Alfred Angerer, joining me from Switzerland to talk about Lean healthcare.
 
I had a chance to visit a hospital with Alfred, in Switzerland, late last year, as we discussed in this episode of his podcast (which we recorded together in his office).
 
In today's episode, he joins me via the internet and we'll talk about his path into studying, teaching, and consulting on Lean healthcare. We'll chat about what's different (and what's similar) in Swiss healthcare and we'll touch on his books and articles in the conversation.
 

Steve Spear on Evolving our Knowledge and Learning on #Lean

 http://www.leanblog.org/358
 
Returning to the podcast for Episode #358 is Steve Spear, a senior lecturer at MIT and author of the book The High-Velocity Edge: How Market Leaders Leverage Operational Excellence to Beat the Competition. He's also the founder and co-creator of a software company and product called See to Solve.
 
He's also the author of two outstanding Harvard Business Review articles: “Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System" and "Fixing Healthcare from the Inside, Today," both of which we'll discuss today. One of the themes for this episode is the evolution of knowledge. What does that mean for a company and what does that mean for an esteemed researcher and professor like Steve?
 
Steve has a BS in economics from Princeton University, an MA in management and an MS in mechanical engineering from MIT, and a PhD from Harvard Business School. He was previously a guest in episodes #58, 87, and 262. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!