Lean Blog Audio: Practical Lean Thinking, Psychological Safety, and Continuous Improvement This WSJ Article About Lean Isn't Terrible (via GE and Larry Culp)
In this episode, Mark Graban breaks down a rare moment in mainstream business journalism: a Wall Street Journal article that actually does a respectable job explaining Lean. Using GE and CEO Larry Culp as a case study, Mark explores why the story stands out—and what it reveals about leadership, culture, and the real work of continuous improvement.
Mark walks through examples highlighted in the article, from simple but powerful flow redesign at a GE factory to Culp’s hands-on participation in kaizen events. He reflects on the WSJ’s surprising accuracy in describing Lean as a culture—not just inventory reduction—and discusses why focusing only on “just-in-time” often distorts Toyota’s system.
You’ll hear commentary on:
Why “rewiring” GE mattered more than the later corporate breakup
How tracing a steel blade’s 3-mile journey exposed deep operational waste
Why Lean is as much about psychology and management as tools and layouts
The importance of CEOs modeling improvement—not just sponsoring it
How standard work, kaizen, and even DEI efforts connect through the same principles
This episode is for anyone interested in understanding Lean beyond the clichés—and seeing what happens when journalism, leadership, and operational excellence (for once) all line up.
If you’ve ever wished major business media would reflect how Lean actually works, this conversation might feel refreshingly close.
See some of that poor WSJ track record, including recent pandemic supply chain articles.
You're normally better off reading about Lean from the source.