About the Book
The decades of experience-based wisdom that Graupp, Steward and Parsons share will set you on a new path to a more joyful organization and the tangible results it will produce.
Rich Sheridan, CEO, Menlo Innovations; author of Joy, Inc. and Chief Joy Officer
A fine book by skilled practitioners that integrates Kata and TWI, with Strategy Deployment in pursuit of an integrated management system. Well done, Skip, Brad and Patrick.
Pascal Dennis, president, Lean Pathways Inc.; author of Lean Production Simplified, Andy & Me, Andy & Me and the Hospital, Getting the Right Things Done, and The Remedy
In this practical and engaging book, Patrick Graupp, Skip Steward, and Brad Parsons give a concise and extremely clear explanation of what systems thinking looks like in a healthcare setting. And they do so in a way that translates easily to any type of organization. Highly recommended!
Alan Robinson, co-author of Ideas Are Free and The Idea-Driven Organization
Despite the vast library of knowledge on Lean tools and models, the majority of Lean implementations fail to sustain themselves over time for lack of a functioning management system. In turn, when organizations try to apply a prescribed, one-size-fits-all, management system they inevitably find that what works for others may not work quite as well in their unique situation. Putting the right pieces in the right places is the prime challenge for every organization and no two successful management systems will, or should, be the same.
This book provides and examines core principles that must be in place for an organization to find what an effective management system should constitute for them. It outlines key elements and how they work together as a necessary system to achieve overall success.
Based on their extensive experience with organizational development and hands-on leadership in policy deployment, TWI and Kata, the authors describe their own journey in helping organizations discover and develop systems that function like well-designed and smooth-running machines while capturing the humanistic aspects of the foundational skills that emphasize the inherent synergy of the system. Readers will learn to help their own organizations connect the dots between the various pieces of Lean methodology and effectively create their own management systems that ultimately fulfil customers' needs and expectations.
About the Author: Patrick Graupp began his training career at the SANYO Electric Corporate Training Center in Japan after graduating with Highest Honors from Drexel University in 1980. There he learned to deliver TWI from his mentor Kazuhiko Shibuya. Mr. Shibuya was trained by Kenji Ogawa who was trained by the four TWI Inc. trainers sent from the US to help Japan rebuild industry in 1951. Patrick earned an MBA from Boston University while heading Sanyo's global training effort. He was later promoted to the head of Human Resources for SANYO North America Corp. in San Diego, CA where he settled.
Patrick partnered with Bob Wrona in 2001 to conduct TWI pilot projects in Syracuse, NY that became the foundation for the TWI Institute which has since trained a rapidly expanding global network of over 1100 certified trainers who are now delivering TWI training in the manufacturing, health care, construction, energy, and service industries in the US and around the globe. These efforts were outlined in their book The TWI Workbook: Essential Skills for Supervisors, a Shingo Research and Professional Publication Prize Recipient for 2007 now in its 2nd Edition. Patrick is also the author of Implementing TWI: Creating and Managing a Skills-Based Culture which was published by Productivity Press in 2010, Getting to Standard Work in Health Care: Using TWI to Create a Foundation for Quality Care published by CRC Press in 2012, and Building a Global Learning Organization: Using TWI to Succeed with Strategic Workforce Expansion in the LEGO Group published by CRC Press in 2014.
Skip Steward earned an MBA and is experienced in diverse industries including automotive, machining, food, process, service and healthcare. He is a Shingo examiner, a Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), a Quality Management System Auditor, a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and a certified Lean Champion. Mr. Steward is a certified trainer in TWI Job Instructions (JI), Job Relations (JR), and Job Methods (JM). He is an award-winning leader who has implemented streamlined business systems that deliver significant contributions to the bottom line, while increasing employee performance and improving productivity. He is recognized for superior project management and communication skills; he has spoken both nationally and internationally.
Mr. Steward currently serves as Vice President and Chief Improvement Officer at Baptist Memorial Health Care headquartered in Memphis, TN where he develops, directs, and implements performance improvement activities identifying inefficiencies; implementing strategies to improve quality, service, and finances; and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.
Brad Parsons currently serves as the CEO of NEA Baptist Health System. NEA Baptist is an integrated delivery system located in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Brad has served as CEO of NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital since June of 2012 and was named CEO of the medical group in December of 2015.
NEA Baptist is part of Baptist Memorial Health Care, a physician and hospital organization based in Memphis, TN. Brad joined Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation in August of 2008 as an Assistant Administrator at Baptist - Golden Triangle, a 350-bed regional medical center in Columbus, MS. In August of 2010, Brad was promoted to CEO and Administrator of Baptist-Union City, in Union City, Tennessee. Prior to joining Baptist, Brad spent five years as an Assistant Vice President at Decatur General Hospital in Decatur, Alabama.
Brad is originally from Birmingham, AL where he graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with degrees in Business Administration and Leadership Studies. Brad received 2 masters' degrees from the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) - in Hospital Administration and in Business Administration. Brad is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on various community and civic boards.
