Mark Graban’s “Lean Hospitals” is a must-read for any hospital going through a Lean transformation. I recommend it for all staff and not just leadership.
I am an internal consultant in a Lean hospital. One of the biggest challenges is helping clinical staff understand how stuff from the automotive industry and manufacturing is relevant to their work. Mark’s book provides descriptions and case examples that tie the Lean philosophy and tools directly to hospital work.
A strength of the book is the realistic way to approach Lean in a hospital. There are many nuances for standardized work that are valuable. Wastes are identified as things people in hospitals experience. Mark points out common issues faced by hospitals if you are looking for a place to start. I can not emphasize enough how many valuable tidbits are throughout this book.
Leaders will get a lot from this book. Lean requires management to change in order to support front-line improvements. Mark provides many concrete things leaders can do to make their journey successful.
The continued focus of patient needs and employee engagement drives all aspects of the book. This brings purpose behind everything else that is explained. This book will help drive valuable change for hospitals.
- Get the first chapter for free here.
- See a video with the author here.
- Follow Mark Graban on his blog andor twitter.
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Great job of highlighting Mark’s excellent book. I am so excited about the possibilities for improving performance in healthcare through Lean thinking. I can’t learn enough about the topic!
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