Productivity, AI and Prosperity – Why Leadership Is the Missing Link
From Productivity to Prosperity: The Role of Lean Thinking in an AI Age 1. The Productivity Paradox Is Back (and Bigger) Set the scene: Introduce the paradox: “We have more tools, more data, and more automation than ever before — yet productivity growth is flat, and work feels harder, not easier.” Position the problem: 2.…
Why Most SMEs Don’t Have an AI Problem
Over the past year, I’ve noticed a shift in how small and medium-sized businesses are talking about artificial intelligence. The early conversations were predictable:What tools should we use?Are we falling behind?Is AI going to replace jobs? More recently, the questions have become quieter — and better:Where would this actually help us?What problem would we solve…
Why Most Organisations Get Lean Wrong – And How the Shingo Model Fixes It
For more than 30 years, organisations around the world have invested heavily in Lean tools: 5S, Kanban, Value Stream Mapping, A3 problem solving, standard work and more. And those tools can deliver real short-term results. Output rises, waste falls, and improvement activity becomes visible. Yet in many organisations, something predictable happens: This is not because…
Toyota using AI to Reinvent Kaizen and Boost Productivity
AI for Toyota? For decades, Toyota has been the global benchmark for operational excellence through the Toyota Production System (TPS) and its core principle of Kaizen—continuous improvement. But even the gold standard of Lean manufacturing is evolving. In today’s era of electrification, digital disruption, and global complexity, Toyota is embracing artificial intelligence (AI) to amplify…
Building a Stronger Improvement Community in New Zealand
One of the challenges for improvement professionals in New Zealand is staying connected — finding peers who “get it,” who understand the daily realities of leading change, and who can share what’s really working in their organisations. That’s why I’m excited about the Enterprise Excellence Group Community, a professional network designed to bring together people…
Lean Thinking for a Resilient and Sustainable Community
This week I’ll be attending the NBS Strong Community Symposium in Māpua, where one of the key themes is “Minimising Your Footprint” — building long-term resilience by reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. It’s a vital conversation for our region. Climate events, supply chain disruptions, and resource constraints are already testing how resilient our…
Aligning Leadership, Strategy and Culture
Turning “words on the wall” into daily action I recently had the pleasure of joining Brad Jeavons on the Enterprise Excellence Podcast to talk about a topic that’s close to my heart — how organisations can truly connect their people, culture, and strategy to achieve sustainable improvement It’s a conversation that comes up often in…
Lean for Good
Lean for Good: Bringing Continuous Improvement to Where It Matters Most For most people, Lean thinking is something that happens on factory floors or in corporate boardrooms. But the truth is, the principles that drive operational excellence — respect for people, continuous improvement, and eliminating process waste — have just as much power to transform…
30 Years of Kaizen – A Journey from Lean to Enterprise Excellence
This year marks 30 years since I was first introduced to Kaizen — a simple idea that turned into a lifelong pursuit. Back in the mid-1990s, I had my first real exposure to what we then called the Toyota Production System. It was a formative experience, and I captured some of those early impressions in…
5S? More like 3S Actually
I recently started working with a Japanese corporate here in NZ, who although expert exponents of continuous improvement in the home country, need a little help and guidance in the land of the long white cloud. I was duly informed that they wanted the original version of 5S, which is actually 3S, us westerners having…
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Diary of a Kaizen Warrior 