Hajime Oba's guest appearances

Hajime Oba

Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership

Michael Bungay Stanier

Tom Peters

John Kim

Chris Harris

Charlie Sheen

Mark Ryan

Michael Conroy

Joe Swartz

Steve Cook

Brad Parsons

Paul Dechant

John Hunter

Woody Zuill

John Gallagher

Eric Ries

OwlTail

Lesa Nichols

Lesa is the founder of Lesa Nichols Consulting. Show notes: http://www.leanblog.org/399 My guest for Episode #399 of the Lean Blog Interviews podcast is Lesa Nichols, a former Toyota and TSSC employer who now works with organizations through her company, Lesa Nichols Consulting. Today, Lesa shares reflections on working closely with the late Hajime Oba. This is the third podcast in a mini series, following my conversations with Steve Spear and with Hide Oba. In the episode, we talk about topics including: Lisa's non-traditional path to TPS: From public relations to the shop floor Working with plant president (and future company chairman) Fujio Cho Choosing between being a "technical scientist" or a "social scientist" of TPS Meeting Mr. Oba and working with TSSC Helping find American expertise to learn from Becoming a powertrain production manager Key lessons from working with Mr. Oba:"Managers must fight to have floor time" "Safety is an assumed thing?" -- what does this mean? Don't look for waste, look for overburden (both physical and mental)   Why is openly admitting mistakes such an important thing at Toyota Why Toyota's "soul is around manufacturing"  Lesa was also a contributor of a chapter to the anthology book Practicing Lean. The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity and healthcare industries. Learn more. 

Lesa is the founder of Lesa Nichols Consulting. Show notes: <a href="http://www.leanblog.org/399" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.leanblog.org/399</a> My guest for Episode #399 of the Lean Blog Interviews podcast is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesanichols/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lesa Nichols</a>, a former Toyota and <a href="https://www.tssc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TSSC</a> employer who now works with organizations through her company, <a href="http://lesanicholsconsulting.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lesa Nichols Consulting</a>. Today, Lesa shares reflections on working closely with the late <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2020/09/remembering-hajime-oba-of-toyota-1945-2020/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hajime Oba</a>. This is the third podcast in a mini series, following my conversations with <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2020/09/lean-podcast-386-steven-j-spear-remembers-hajime-oba-of-toyota/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Spear</a> and with <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2021/01/lean-podcast-397-hide-oba-discusses-his-father-hajime-oba-of-toyota-fame/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hide Oba</a>. In the episode, we talk about topics including: <ul><li>Lisa's non-traditional path to TPS: From public relations to the shop floor</li> <li>Working with plant president (and future company chairman) Fujio Cho</li> <li>Choosing between being a "technical scientist" or a "social scientist" of TPS</li> <li>Meeting Mr. Oba and working with TSSC</li> <li>Helping find American expertise to learn from</li> <li>Becoming a powertrain production manager</li> <li>Key lessons from working with Mr. Oba: <ul><li>"Managers must fight to have floor time"</li> <li>"Safety is an assumed thing?" -- what does this mean?</li> <li>Don't look for waste, look for overburden (both physical and mental)</li> </ul> </li> <li>Why is openly admitting mistakes such an important thing at Toyota</li> <li>Why Toyota's "soul is around manufacturing"</li> </ul> Lesa was also a contributor of a chapter to the anthology book <a href="http://practicinglean.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Practicing Lean</a>. The podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://leanexecs.com/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stiles Associates</a>, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity and healthcare industries. <a href="https://leanexecs.com/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn more</a>.

Lesa Nichols: Reflecting on Hajime Oba and Her Toyota Experience

TPS / Lean Consultant based in NYC https://www.leanblog.org/397 Joining me for Episode #397 is Hide Oba. His father was the late Hajime Oba, famous for his work at Toyota and the TSSC, as Steve Spear and I discussed back in Episode #386. Hide worked with his father at TSSC and also worked with him through the company H&amp;M Operations Management, LLC. He is based in New York City. He says that his mission is to continue spreading his father's wisdom and I appreciate him doing so here with me on the podcast. I asked Hide to summarize his father's life and work and he then talks about some of the unique aspects of his approach. “Going to the shop floor was fun… his hobby.” Hide tells a story about his father telling Bruce Hamilton, “You should do Kaizen, too,” and you can read Bruce's side of the story here. We discuss the balance between asking questions versus pointing people in a direction. Hide says Hajime “never asked people what they should do,” but he asked questions based on his vision. Hajime saw TPS as “management engineering” — being very scientific about creating the right structure that allows you to create a kaizen culture. Hajime was also “careful” about the word “scientific” as it is meant to mean “continuous discovery and learning… understanding why.” Hide says his father was “addicted to learning.” Hajime aimed to always learn from the client. From the new 2nd edition of The Toyota Way (an interview with Jeff Liker about that is coming soon, by the way): “Oba said “TPS is built on the scientific way of thinking… How do I respond to this problem? Not a toolbox. You have to be willing to start small, learn through trial and error.” Hide also talks about how his father visited hospitals in Pittsburgh via Kent Bowen and Paul O'Neill. We also talk about why others have struggled to copy or emulate Toyota. “Stick to Ohno,” says Hide. Solve problems one at at instead of having a big program. He “never asked a company to start by creating a Lean / CI office, sitting and making presentations.” Hajime said the plant manager is the key person, and he would say, “Come with me and let's go through the process together.” Why does the idea of “challenge” not mean “asking people to do things that are impossible?” Why did he “hate giving a format for problem solving?” We discuss all of that and the idea of “respect for people.” Hide says he father taught that we should “respect humanity” — human life is limited and we shouldn't waste it… that's why we do kaizen. He also “saw a lot of waste in his final days” in the hospital. I'm very thankful that Hide can keep his father's work and legacy alive for all of us. The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity and healthcare industries. Learn more.

TPS / Lean Consultant based in NYC <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.leanblog.org/397</a> Joining me for Episode #397 is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hide-oba-4259561bb/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hide Oba</a>. His father was the late Hajime Oba, famous for his work at Toyota and the TSSC, as <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/2020/09/lean-podcast-386-steven-j-spear-remembers-hajime-oba-of-toyota/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Spear and I discussed back in Episode #386.</a> Hide worked with his father at TSSC and also worked with him through the company H&amp;M Operations Management, LLC. He is based in New York City. He says that his mission is to continue spreading his father's wisdom and I appreciate him doing so here with me on the podcast. I asked Hide to summarize his father's life and work and he then talks about some of the unique aspects of his approach. “Going to the shop floor was fun… his hobby.” Hide tells a story about his father telling Bruce Hamilton, “You should do Kaizen, too,” and you can <a href="https://oldleandude.com/2010/12/21/the-story-behind-toast-kaizen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">read Bruce's side of the story here</a>. We discuss the balance between asking questions versus pointing people in a direction. Hide says Hajime “never asked people what they should do,” but he asked questions based on his vision. Hajime saw TPS as “management engineering” — being very scientific about creating the right structure that allows you to create a kaizen culture. Hajime was also “careful” about the word “scientific” as it is meant to mean “continuous discovery and learning… understanding why.” Hide says his father was “addicted to learning.” Hajime aimed to always learn from the client. From the new 2nd edition of <a href="https://amzn.to/3nXQbBF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Toyota Way</a> (an interview with Jeff Liker about that is coming soon, by the way): “Oba said “TPS is built on the scientific way of thinking… How do I respond to this problem? Not a toolbox. You have to be willing to start small, learn through trial and error.” Hide also talks about how his father visited hospitals in Pittsburgh via Kent Bowen and <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/tag/oneill/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paul O'Neill</a>. We also talk about why others have struggled to copy or emulate Toyota. “Stick to <a href="https://www.leanblog.org/tag/ohno/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ohno</a>,” says Hide. Solve problems one at at instead of having a big program. He “never asked a company to start by creating a Lean / CI office, sitting and making presentations.” Hajime said the plant manager is the key person, and he would say, “Come with me and let's go through the process together.” Why does the idea of “challenge” not mean “asking people to do things that are impossible?” Why did he “hate giving a format for problem solving?” We discuss all of that and the idea of “respect for people.” Hide says he father taught that we should “respect humanity” — human life is limited and we shouldn't waste it… that's why we do kaizen. He also “saw a lot of waste in his final days” in the hospital. I'm very thankful that Hide can keep his father's work and legacy alive for all of us. The podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://leanexecs.com/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stiles Associates</a>, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity and healthcare industries. <a href="https://leanexecs.com/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn more</a>.

Hide Oba Discusses His Father, Toyota's Hajime Oba

MIT professor, author, and consultant http://www.leanblog.org/386 Joining me again for Episode #386 is Steve Spear, who reached out to share recollections of one of his most influential teachers and mentors, Hajime Oba, who passed away earlier this month at 75. I never had the chance to learn directly from Mr. Oba, but he is legendary in Lean circles and I know many people who were deeply influenced by Mr. Oba. I hope to interview more of them in the near future. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Oba's family, friends, and colleagues. Here is a classic 2001 WSJ article that features him:   "How Does Toyota Maintain Quality? Mr. Oba's Hair Dryer Offers a Clue"   In today's episode, Steve talks about meeting Mr. Oba and how he learned from him as a PhD student. One story that Steve shares was about sitting at his desk, thinking about a problem, and Mr. Oba told him:   "Don't think -- do!" Hajime Oba  You'll hear more from Steve talking about the need to learn by doing and to test changes in an experimental fashion. It's not just "do" --- it's Plan Do Check Act (or Plan Do Study Adjust or even Plan Test Study Adjust).

MIT professor, author, and consultant <a href="http://www.leanblog.org/386" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.leanblog.org/386</a> Joining me again for Episode #386 is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevespear/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Spear</a>, who reached out to share recollections of one of his most influential teachers and mentors, Hajime Oba, who <a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?n=hajime-oba&amp;pid=196759734&amp;fhid=6956" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">passed away earlier this month at 75</a>. I never had the chance to learn directly from Mr. Oba, but he is legendary in Lean circles and I know many people who were deeply influenced by Mr. Oba. I hope to interview more of them in the near future. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Oba's family, friends, and colleagues. Here is a classic 2001 WSJ article that features him: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB984606192718035809" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"How Does Toyota Maintain Quality? Mr. Oba's Hair Dryer Offers a Clue"</a> In today's episode, Steve talks about meeting Mr. Oba and how he learned from him as a PhD student. One story that Steve shares was about sitting at his desk, thinking about a problem, and Mr. Oba told him: "Don't think -- do!" Hajime Oba You'll hear more from Steve talking about the need to learn by doing and to test changes in an experimental fashion. It's not just "do" --- it's Plan Do Check Act (or Plan Do Study Adjust or even Plan Test Study Adjust).