By Christian Wolcott
Are you engaged, disengaged or actively disengaged? It’s an assessment that must be made by an organization if they are interested in culture change or a culture of continuous improvement. The next, and perhaps larger, set of questions are the same set but aimed at the management ranks exclusively: Is the management team engaged, disengaged […]
Industry veteran to lead Optima’s southern Wisconsin peer groups DE PERE, Wis., Jan. 14, 2020 – Optima Associates, a market leader in continuous improvement peer groups, training and consulting with clients globally, has hired Tom Groth as its continuous improvement leader based in Madison, Wis. Groth has more than 30 years of experience in continuous […]
By Julia Guthrie
Get ready to sit back, relax, and learn while reading Optima’s fall newsletter.
By Steven Hirt
It’s that time of year where we begin to think about the future and our strategy for getting there. If you are using Strategy Deployment or Hoshin Kanri principles you are likely already there. If not, it may be time to do a little housekeeping or 5S your top strategies and actions. 5S? Yes, […]
Grab a cup of coffee and see what’s new and what great opportunities are coming yet this year!
By Christian Wolcott
People closest to the work have the best ideas of how and what to change. Let’s examine this simple yet powerful statement. First people, which ones are we talking about? The employees. Which employees? The hardworking folks that directly handle and build the products and provide the services your customers receive. They are the people […]
By Steven Hirt
I was recently listening to a Norman Bodek podcast on the Harada Method and coaching excellence. He spoke of Kyocera and its Chairman Kazou Inamori which I found intriguing and wanted to learn more. Words like “Trust” and “Respect for People” are often used but rarely practiced, especially in Western Culture. Below is the management […]
By Steven Hirt
Way too often organizations are pursuing the benefits of the Toyota Production System or Lean Enterprise by trying to imitate or copy others. While there is value in understanding what others have done, company and continuous improvement leaders should recognize their own uniqueness and culture and develop countermeasures to their own business problems, not someone […]
By Christian Wolcott
What is your standard as a Manager or a Leader? Some insight; in vibrant, progressive organizations that strive to integrate continuous improvement with running the business, you need to be both an effective manager and leader fundamentally becoming a Lean Leader. The challenge is creating a standard that comprises both sets of skills and approaches. […]
