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Artwork for WLEI - Lean Enterprise Institute’s Podcast

WLEI - Lean Enterprise Institute’s Podcast

Lean Enterprise Institute
Lean Thinking
Lean Product and Process Development
Continuous Improvement
Toyota
Toyota Production System
Hoshin Kanri
Lean Management
Problem Solving
Healthcare
Lean Manufacturing
Leadership Development
GE Healthcare
Product Development
Software Development
Theodo
Covid-19 Pandemic
Agile Methodology
Continuous Learning
AI
Quality Management

The official podcast of the Lean Enterprise Institute.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes100Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ManagementBusiness

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Artwork for WLEI - Lean Enterprise Institute’s Podcast

Latest Episodes

In the first half of their podcast Better Thinking Faster, Josh Howell, Mark Reich, and Art Smalley discussed solving problems just in time and how the speed of quality problem solving depends on the level of the organization and the types of problem... more

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we speak with Jim Morgan and Sebastian Fixson about organizational implications for product development and what building your team’s product development capabilities looks like in the age of AI. Morgan is the aut... more

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Time is relative, especially when it comes to lean problem solving. The LEI trio of Josh Howell, Mark Reich, and Art Smalley explored how the speed of quality problem solving really depends on the level of the organization in which the problem exists... more

Gene Kim, DevOps leader and co-author of Wiring the Winning Organization, joins Tyson Heaton, LEI Executive Director of LeanTech/AI, and Art Smalley, Toyota veteran and LEI advisor, for a lively, enlightening, and wide-ranging conversation about arti... more

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Recent Guests

Jim Morgan
Author of Designing the Future; former global engineering director at Ford Motor Company
Author, Ford experience
Episode: Sebastian Fixson and Jim Morgan on Why Human Judgment will be Essential for Product Development in the Age of AI
Sebastian Fixson
Founding director of the Doctor of Business Administration Program; professor of innovation and design at Babson College; author of The Innovation Navigator
Babson College
Episode: Sebastian Fixson and Jim Morgan on Why Human Judgment will be Essential for Product Development in the Age of AI
Gene Kim
Author and Lean/DevOps advocate
Independent/Industry Speaker
Episode: Past, Present, and Future of Lean and AI
Art Smalley
Lean manufacturing expert
Industry practitioner
Episode: Past, Present, and Future of Lean and AI
Jim Luckman
Coach and Lean Institute faculty member
Lean Enterprise Institute
Episode: Coaching and Co-Learning — Coach as Mirror
Marco Lopez
CEO of Dreamplace Hotels
Dreamplace Hotels
Episode: Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey
Oriol Cuatrecasas
Head of the Spanish Institute in Spain
Spanish Institute / Lean Enterprise Institute
Episode: Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey
Sarah Milstein
Coaches executive and emerging leaders in tech and has held executive roles at various tech startups.
Episode: Cutting through the Noise in Tech: Sarah Milstein's Advice for Leaders Who Want to Keep People Focused on Value Creation
Julia Austin
Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and Executive Coach with deep experience as a product leader in tech.
Harvard Business School
Episode: Keeping Our Humanity in Tech: Julia Austin on Why It Pays to Put People First in Product Development

Hosts

Mark Reich
Host of The Management Brief and WLEI-related shows; held leadership roles at LEI.
Josh Howell
President/Leader of LEI and host across multiple LEI programs.
Lex Schroeder
Host of WLEI Podcast; engages with guests on lean leadership and product development.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 40 ratings
  • Awesome job

    Thank you Lei for doing these podcasts, they are fantastic!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Mark Smeets
    Canada8 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Conversations emphasize culture, leadership, and frontline problem-solving.
Listeners praise practical, actionable lean coaching insights.
Guests bring deep industry experience from manufacturing to healthcare.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Sebastian Fixson and Jim Morgan on Why Human Judgment will be Essential for Product Development in the Age of AI
Q: How do you balance functional excellence with product-focused organizational design?
Balance comes from creating inter-functional teams that maintain depth in disciplines while owning overall system performance. In some cases, hybrid structures like Toyota's chief engineers or Ford-like integrated value streams reduce waste and ensure accountability for customer outcomes.
Sebastian Fixson and Jim Morgan on Why Human Judgment will be Essential for Product Development in the Age of AI
Q: What does people-first leadership look like in practice in product development?
It means recognizing that people are the key to delivering value, designing structures that let individuals contribute across boundaries, and creating processes that enable collaboration and ownership rather than rigid handoffs. It also involves investing in people and nurturing engineers so they can grow together with the organization.
Coaching and Co-Learning — Coach as Mirror
Q: What is the role of a coach in helping you develop as a leader?
The coach acts like a mirror, providing feedback, helping identify gaps, and guiding the leader to bridge those gaps through reflective practice and targeted action.
20 Years Later: How Toyota's Product Development Principles Are Still Core to a Lean Enterprise
Q: Can you share a concrete example of a practice that was adapted when moving from Toyota to Ford?
Yes. At Ford, PDPD and standard architectures weren't fully in place, so practitioners like Dave Parasak created Ford-friendly documentation and worked within tight constraints, focusing on weight, stiffness, and interface trade-offs while acknowledging manufacturing realities and budget limits.
Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey
Q: What advice would you give others starting their Lean journey in hospitality?
Start with professional help early, be patient, focus on people and teams, maintain stability in management, and treat Lean as a long-term cultural transformation rather than a project with quick results.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program centers on lean thinking, leadership, and practical problem-solving across manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and tech. Episodes feature coaching dynamics, cross-functional teamwork, and the Toyota Production System as a lens for transforming organizations. Notable throughlines include the role of leadership in enabling frontline decision-making, the importance of coaching and continuous learning, and real-world applications of A3s, TPS, and value-stream design to improve patient outcomes, product development, and operational excellence. The format often pairs seasoned practitioners with coaches or executives to explore how culture, systems, and people enable sustainable improvement, making it a strong fit for listeners wh... more

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1. The Knowledge Project
2. Coaching Real Leaders
3. Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
4. HBR IdeaCast
5. Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond

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this podcast launched 8 years ago and published 100 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Jim Morgan
2. Sebastian Fixson
3. Gene Kim
4. Art Smalley
5. Jim Luckman
6. Marco Lopez
7. Oriol Cuatrecasas
8. Sarah Milstein

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