What does it really mean to be a learning organization? What does it take to get the people in a nonmanufacturing environment to think of work in terms of flow? How do you build a culture based on lean principles and lead that culture as it continuously evolves?
In his book, Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture, Dr. Sami Bahri describes how he and the staff in his dental practice tackled each of these questions. The book describes how their organization, the Bahri Dental Group, transformed their work and their thinking from a traditional batch-and-queue approach to one focused directly on the needs of the patient, not on the needs of the practitioners.
The book is organized into three sections -- Creating the Practice, Leading the Transformation, and Discovering the Principles of Lean Leadership -- that describe a personal and professional journey in terms that anyone, at any level, can learn from. It explains the technical changes that they made in the way that they scheduled and treated patients, as well as the understanding of the human interactions needed to make this new model succeed. Along the way, it demonstrates the universal application of lean concepts and methods in an environment with which you may be familiar, but is a long way from the traditional manufacturing roots of the Toyota Production System.
Dr. Bahri has created an honest and straightforward look at organizational transformation. He describes the experiments that led to rapid improvement and dramatic change, as well as the lessons he learned that changed his own definition of what it meant to be a leader. And he has created a leadership model of continuous improvement that lean thinkers and leaders everywhere can understand and relate to.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Taking "lean" beyond the tools,
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This review is from: Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture (Perfect Paperback)
In this deceptively compact book, Dr. Bahri offers a first-person description of his own personal journey of learning as he figures out how to apply "lean production" principles to his dental practice. In the end, he also discovers the vital leadership component that makes it all work.
The book is divided into three sections. The first describes the mechanics of implementing continuous flow of care to the patients - which Dr. Bahri calls "one patient flow." The net effect is two fold. First, most patients can get all of their care delivered on a single visit. And, perhaps just as important, is that the effort results in a significant increase in the throughput and efficiency of Dr. Bahri's practice. The second section, though short, outlines some of his key learnings around leadership itself. The third section summarizes the principles of purpose, process and people in the context of his experience and his own growth as a leader. In the "lean manufacturing" world, many people initially struggle with how to take a system that grew out of the mass production of automobiles and apply it to their specific situation. This struggle often stems from confusing the tools and techniques with the core principles they deploy, and more importantly, the thinking behind them. Dr. Bahri, in describing his own journey, gives insight into the thought process required for success. In the end, some will dismiss this story as "about dentistry" and look for more concrete examples in their own industry or service. That is too bad, because this book is exactly how to take "lean" and make it work anywhere.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Teaching Leaders to Learn,
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This review is from: Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture (Perfect Paperback)
Sami is an ideal example of those that are the most influential and often the most difficult to teach to lead Lean (senior leaders). He's self taught, well educated, a Dr. and a business owner. He admits failure and points out his shortcomings and failures as normal and educational (giving up control and perceived weakness are common management fears that need to be overcome). The book opens by discussing the tactical change that occurred in his business and follows with the organizational/systemic learning that is required. His book leads with what attracts a leader's attention (tactical application and results) and then tells them what kind of organizational learning must occur to achieve those results. The other great thing is that he was able to do all this in a book that is under 100 pages. This is not a book about converting a Dentist's practice to lean. This book tells the story of the creation of a Lean leader, his ability to learn, teach and most of all his willingness to promote organizational learning. These lessons are profound regardless of industry. Speaking from experience leading Lean transformations in both manufacturing and healthcare this is a must read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Manufacturing to Dentistry back to Manufacturing - this book has value,
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This review is from: Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture (Perfect Paperback)
Great book for any profession. Even manufacturing leaders will benefit by seeing their own concepts converted into a service industry. Dr. Bahri's book should be a must-read for everyone. He proves there's no excuse for not implementing Lean.Even manufacturing professionals will benefit from this book, as it drives you to a better understanding of your own condition, when seen through an outsider's eyes.
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