by Mark Graban
Mark Graban reads and expands upon selected posts from LeanBlog.org. Topics include Lean principles and leadership in healthcare, manufacturing, business, and the world around us. Learn more at http://www.leanblog.org/audio
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Publishing Since
1/5/2015
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April 15, 2025
<p><a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2025/04/how-psychological-safety-drives-digital-transformation-and-lean-at-toyota/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The blog post</a></p><p>Before I departed for my recent <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2024/12/bonus-preview-of-mark-grabans-ame-australia-road-show-in-2025-improving-the-way-we-improve/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">workshop tour of Australia and New Zealand</a>, I knew that I would learn things in the process of teaching and facilitating on my favorite topics. I didn't expect to learn about <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2025/03/flying-koalas-the-joy-of-unexpected-learning-in-australia/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flying koalas</a>, though!</p><p>I did expect to learn something when I had the opportunity to meet up for lunch with a friend, former Toyota Australia leader <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-mccarthy-942b1430/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Barry McCarthy</a>. Barry's also the chair of this year's <a href="https://www.ame.org/ame-st-louis-2025-international-conference" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AME International Conference in St. Louis</a>. I first met Barry back in 2018 when I went on a Japan Study trip <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/tag/honsha-trip/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">with Barry and the Honsha Consulting team</a>, and I learned a lot from him on that trip (check out <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2019/02/podcast-334-barry-mccarthy-on-toyota-and-development-organizations/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">my podcast with him</a> about these topics).</p><p>Toyota and Psychological Safety–A New Book</p><p>In recent years, I've come to believe that <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2024/09/psychological-safety-is-the-foundation-for-continuous-improvement-video/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Psychological Safety is the oft-unheralded foundation</a> of the Toyota Production System and Lean Management. Former Toyota Kentucky leader Mike Hoseus agrees, <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2024/06/psychological-safety-in-lean-leadership-insights-from-mike-hoseus-and-toyotas-culture/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">as we discussed in this Lean Blog Interviews episode</a> — and as mentioned in the book <a href="https://amzn.to/3RaPhCV" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Toyota Culture</a>, that Mike co-authored with Jeff Liker.</p><p>I've learned a lot from Barry about Toyota as a “human development company,” as we discussed <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2019/02/podcast-334-barry-mccarthy-on-toyota-and-development-organizations/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in his episode</a>.</p><p>He agrees with me about the direct importance of Psychological Safety at Toyota — and that it's something they intentionally nurture.</p><p>One new piece of direct evidence of this is a book that was published, in Japanese, back in late 2023. The title can be translated to English as:</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4817197897?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Two kata that realize psychological safety and speed up work that supports Toyota-style DX: “How to speak” and “How to proceed with work” that resonate with young people</strong></a></p><p>Barry shared his summary of the book (as translated by him via Google) and I ordered it from Amazon Japan based on his recommendation. When I got home, the book was waiting for me.</p><p>“DX” is jargon (an abbreviation) for “digital transformation,” something that's increasingly important to Toyota.</p><p>Back to the title — I suspect that “make work flow better” might be a better translation since we don't normally try to “speed up work” directly through the Lean methodology. Lean is more about reducing and eliminating barriers to flow and not a matter of pressuring people to work faster.</p><p>The ChatGPT translation of the title says:</p><p><strong>“Supporting Toyota-Style DX: Two Kata That Achieve Psychological Safety and Speed in Work”</strong><br />“A way of speaking that resonates with young workers” and<br />“A way to move work forward”</p><p>I've been running pages through ChatGPT as a translation tool. It's incredibly fast. You take a photo of a page (or pages) and out comes the translation. I've been uploading photos in a batch size of “chapter” so ChatGPT can perhaps look at the full context of the chapter instead of only seeing page by page.</p><p>Before jumping into what Psychological Safety is, the book poses a problem statement:</p><p>“A diagnostic list for managers–if you mark 3 or more “yes,” you should seriously reconsider your current management style. Examples include:</p><ul><li>“I've never said ‘thank you' to a team member today.”</li><li>“I find the word ‘challenge' cringeworthy.”</li><li>“I haven't talked to anyone outside my own department.”</li><li>“I tend to suppress my real opinions at work.”</li></ul><p>I think a good question for leaders is: “Do you remember the last time an employee disagreed with you?” If the answer is “no,” then you have a problem.</p><p><strong>(1) What is Psychological Safety?</strong></p><p>“Being able to express honest opinions, candid doubts, and even disagree with others for the sake of organizational or team results–without fear.”<br />— Atsusuke Ishii, 2020, Japanese Management Skills Association</p><p><br /></p>
February 12, 2025
<p><a href="http://leanblog.org/audio411" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Blog post</a></p><p>I'm very excited to announce that my latest book, <a href="https://mistakesbook.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation</a>, has been officially selected as a recipient of the <a href="https://shingo.org/awards/publication-award/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shingo Publication Award</a> by the <a href="https://shingo.org/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shingo Institute</a> (the home of the Shingo Prize for organizations).</p><p><br /></p>
February 7, 2025
<p><a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2025/02/my-upcoming-webinar-on-mistake-proofing-across-industries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The blog post</a></p> <p>I'm excited to be presenting this webinar on February 12th at 1 pm ET as part of the <a href="https://www.kainexus.com/webinars">KaiNexus Continuous Improvement webinar series</a>:</p> <p>The webinar description:</p> <p>“Are you looking for practical ways to eliminate errors and enhance efficiency in your organization? Join us for “Mistake-Proofing in Action: Real-World Examples Across Industries,” an insightful webinar showcasing how organizations across healthcare, manufacturing, and service sectors have successfully implemented mistake-proofing techniques.</p> <p>Discover innovative solutions that prevent errors before they occur, improve safety and quality, and save valuable time and resources. Through inspiring case studies and actionable takeaways, you'll learn how to adapt these proven approaches to your unique challenges. Don't miss this chance to gain practical tools and insights to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.</p> <p><a href="https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/mistake-proofing-in-action-real-world-examples-across-industries/webinar/signup">Register today</a> and see mistake-proofing in action!”</p> <p>You can also <a href="https://kingsumo.com/g/1k5poy1/the-mistakes-that-make-us-signed-paperback-copy">register to win a signed copy of my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation</a>, which has a chapter about preventing mistakes.</p> <p><a href="https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/mistake-proofing-in-action-real-world-examples-across-industries/webinar/signup">Mistake-Proofing in Action: Real-World Examples Across Industries</a>Enter to Win!</p>
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