Shingo Principles Podcast

Monthly podcast hosted by the Shingo Institute, a program in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, to discuss topics in Lean thinking, research, and continuous improvement culture. Topics are chosen based on the Shingo Guiding Principles.

Episode 54: From Observing to Owning: A New Generation’s Perspective on Leading Huddles

Based on the article “From Observing to Owning: A New Generation’s Perspective on Leading Huddles” by Mark McKenzie and Andrew Martyn, this podcast explores how empowering a Gen Z team member to lead daily huddles transformed them from routine check-ins into meaningful developmental experiences. Andrew shares his journey from passive observation to active leadership and reflects on how trust, humility, and respect can make huddles engaging, productive, and connected. By contrasting previously...

12-04
32:22

Episode 3: Back to Basics - Challenge the Status Quo

In this episode, Shaun Barker and Mike Martyn explore what it truly means for organizations to redefine excellence. They emphasize that mastery requires a continuous willingness to challenge the status quo—breaking what exists, rebuilding it better, and constantly reimagining the future while honoring the past. As companies push beyond traditional benchmarks, they may find themselves charting a path few have walked before. Shaun and Mike highlight how the Shingo Model offers a timeless founda...

11-20
25:03

Episode 2: Back To Basics - Failure

Peter Barnett and Lacey Garner, Circana, dive into the uncomfortable but essential topic of failure—what it teaches us, how it shapes us, and why it’s a necessary part of growth. Whether you're leading a team, improving a process, or navigating personal challenges, failure is often the first step toward excellence. To learn more please visit https://shingo.org.

11-12
13:33

Episode 1: Back to Basics

We kick things off with a fundamental question: If Lean thinking works so well, why aren’t more organizations doing it—and how does the Shingo Model fit into the picture? Our guest, Ravi Uppal, Sr. Manager at Apple Inc., shares his perspective in this quick conversation you won’t want to miss. To learn more about the Shingo Model, please visit https://shingo.org.

11-12
12:58

Episode 53: Harmonizing Process Improvement Approaches

Join members of the Future of People at Work community for a dynamic panel discussion exploring how diverse improvement philosophies can come together to create stronger, more resilient organizations. Drawing on insights from thought leaders such as Shigeo Shingo, Eli Goldratt, and Ryuji Fukuda, the panel will discuss how integrating methods like design for manufacture, total productive maintenance, and design of experiments can drive innovation and shape the future of improvement, technology...

11-12
31:41

Episode 52: Seeing the Whole to Building Sustainable Organizations

Lean organizations often struggle with declining performance and engagement over time. Solving this requires more than a reductionist approach—it calls for a holistic view of how systems interact and shape new behaviors. In this episode, Ana will share insights from 15 years of Shingo Prize recipient analysis, highlighting the top 10 systems organizations are prioritizing to achieve not only enterprise excellence but also ecosystem excellence. Whether you’re a leader, practitioner, rese...

09-20
25:21

Episode 51: Overcoming Transformation Failures

In this episode, we explore why organizational transformation so often falls short — and how the Shingo Model® provides a roadmap for lasting, principle-driven change. We break down how leaders connect strategy, systems, and culture by creating urgency, translating intent into daily behaviors, measuring success differently, and embedding alignment into everyday work. Whether you’re a senior leader, change agent, or improvement professional, this conversation offers practical insights to drive...

08-22
33:09

Episode 50: Digitization and the Shingo Model®

In this engaging podcast, Dr. Peter Hines explores how digitization and the Shingo approach can work together to drive meaningful transformation—a topic gaining momentum in both industry and academia. Based on global research supported by the Shingo Institute®, Dr. Hines shares insights from over 1,000 industry responses across 66 countries. The findings reveal a lack of consistent understanding around Lean Industry 4.0 terminology and a tendency to repeat past Lean mistakes by overlooking le...

07-21
32:55

Episode 49: Shingo Challenge - Eligibility and Results Requirements

In today’s session Brittany Ogden and Shaun Barker, who oversee the Shingo assessment process will talk about the Shingo Challenge—what it is, who’s eligible, and how to prepare. The Shingo Prize is a prestigious recognition of organizational excellence, grounded in cultural transformation and principle-based behavior. Unlike traditional assessments, Shingo examiners evaluate how deeply the Shingo Guiding Principles are embedded in daily operations. Brittany and Shaun walk us through the elig...

06-19
32:20

Episode 48: Leading Excellence

Today’s podcast explores how leaders can thrive in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) environment by embracing adaptive, principle-based leadership rooted in the Shingo Model™. Drawing on insights from the book Leading Excellence, the episode introduces the concept of the “5 Hats of the Adaptive Leader”—Inspire, Coach, Teach, Support, and Direct—as practical tools to guide leaders in responding effectively to different situations. It emphasizes the importance of understandin...

05-27
34:00

Episode 47: Psychological Safety as the Foundation of Continuous Improvement

In today’s episode, we’re exploring a foundational yet often overlooked element of continuous improvement: psychological safety. It's the belief that team members can speak up—about mistakes, concerns, and ideas—without fear of punishment. And it’s not just a “nice-to-have”—it’s a must-have for any organization striving to learn and grow. Drawing insights from The Mistakes That Make Us and the powerful principles of the Shingo Model, we’ll unpack how leading organizations like Toyota create c...

04-25
47:14

Episode 46: The Relentless Pursuit of Mastery

Achieving the Shingo Prize or reaching the highest levels of the Shingo Behavioral Scale is a remarkable accomplishment—but it’s not the final destination. The real question is: what comes next? In this episode, we explore the shift from maturity to mastery in organizational excellence. Maturity brings stability and best practices, but mastery breaks boundaries, redefines industries, and sets new standards. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese concept of Takumi—a lifelong pursuit of perfecti...

03-20
33:54

Episode 45: The Path for Every Team Member

In this podcast, Robert Martichenko, Shingo Publication recipient and chair of TrailPath Workplace Solutions and founder of LeanCor Supply Chain Group will discuss how we need to truly believe that respect and improvement in our work can be guiding principles for organizational decisions, leadership behaviors, and team member participation. Listeners will learn how an employment environment is elevated through a clear commitment to every team member inside the organization. To learn mor...

02-22
37:49

Episode 44: The Power of Daily Improvement

In this podcast, Peter Barnett, Director of Executive Education at the Shingo Institute will cover how coaching can transform your organization’s culture and drive lasting change. In the fast-paced world of continuous improvement, simply teaching problem-solving skills isn’t enough. Coaching is the key to empowering employees, fostering accountability, and unlocking their full potential. We’ll explore effective coaching techniques that build problem-solving capabilities, encourage collaborati...

01-28
32:34

Episode 43: Building System Capabilities

In this podcast Cheryl Jekiel, a Shingo Faculty Fellow, redefines sustainable learning by addressing why traditional training often fails. With more than 25 years of experience, she highlights key challenges like vague goals and misaligned leadership. Cheryl introduces a practical tool that clarifies expectations, breaks skills into steps, and aligns them with organizational systems. She emphasizes active engagement, coaching, and practice to bridge the gap between training and performance. S...

01-09
36:50

Episode 42: Unleashing Employee Potential: The Key to Organizational Success

In this podcast we will be learning from Jay Timms, a seasoned organizational psychologist on "Unleashing Employee Potential: The Key to Organizational Success." In this session, Jay will explore the critical disconnect between how leaders perceive their company culture and how employees actually experience it, shedding light on the significant impact this gap has on productivity and talent retention. Drawing from his expertise, Jay will discuss why many organizations still rely on outdated m...

11-26
24:20

Episode 41: Act Your Way to Lean Thinking

In this podcast we explore the core idea that behavior change, not belief change, drives Lean transformation. Arnoud Herremans and Norbert Majerus explain how altering the environment to support new behaviors fosters Lean thinking. Using examples from Goodyear's Innovation Centers, the session demonstrates how coaching leaders and creating collaborative systems led to significant improvements. Practical strategies like Lean problem-solving, gemba walks, and role modeling will be discussed, sh...

10-17
29:11

Episode 40: The Shingo Leader

The Shingo Model promotes a culture of respect for every individual, with leadership rooted in humility. Gary Peterson of O.C. Tanner exemplifies this through his leadership, which has been the subject of research by Helen Zak, who is the Research Director at the Shingo Institute, Peter Hines, who is a Shingo Faculty Fellow and Shingo Academy Member, and Juliana Salvadorinho, who is working with the Institute as a research assistant. Their study focuses on O.C. Tanner as a Shingo Prize recipi...

09-19
34:42

Episode 39: Ahead of the Curve: Using Key Behavioral Indicators for Predictive Success

In this podcast Jacob Raymer, a Shingo Faculty Fellow and Shingo Academy Member, delves into the transformative power of Key Behavioral Indicators, known as KBIs, in driving predictive success. In today's dynamic business landscape, understanding and leveraging KBIs can provide organizations with a competitive edge, enabling them to anticipate challenges, optimize processes, and achieve sustainable growth. In this podcast learn: 1) The fundamentals of Key Behavioral Indicators and their signi...

08-22
31:04

Episode 38: Challenging for the Shingo Prize

In this podcast learn the steps necessary to Challenge for the Shingo Prize. The Shingo Prize is based on a complete assessment of an organization’s culture and how well it drives world-class results. Most organizations do not wait to challenge for the Shingo Prize until they are likely to achieve it. Rather, they use their challenge as part of their progression to guide their journey of continuous improvement. Listen to this podcast to learn more about the process or visit https://shingo.org...

07-29
35:42

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