Shingo Principles Podcast

Hosted by Shingo Institute, Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Monthly podcast hosted by the Shingo Institute, a program in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, to discuss topics in Lean thinking, research, and continuous improvement culture. Topics are chosen based on the Shingo Guiding Principles.

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60 recent

August 20, 202642 min

Episode 63: Wiring the Winning Organization: The Leader’s Journey

What helps some organizations consistently outperform others? In this episode of the Shingo Principles Podcast, Steve Spear, author of Wiring the Winning Organization , explores how leaders can build organizations that solve problems faster, learn continuously, and better use the intelligence of their people. Spear explains how shifting problem solving closer to the point of work can reduce delays, improve collaboration, and strengthen organizational performance. He also introduces the “leader’s journey”—the idea that leaders must go see the work firsthand, understand the barriers people face, and create better conditions for success. Through practical examples, the conversation challenges leaders to rethink their role: not as the people who solve every problem, but as the people who create systems that help others see, understand, and solve problems effectively. Listen to discover how better organizational “wiring” can unlock learning, improve problem solving, and help your organization move closer to what is possible. To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org .

July 31, 2026Episode 6228 min

Episode 62: Accelerating Operational Excellence: How Systems Design and Leadership Drive Shingo Transformation

What does it take to create lasting improvement—not just better numbers? In this episode, Danilo Rodriguez Santos, maintenance leader at Vale, shares how the company’s railway maintenance operation in São Luís, Brazil, used the Shingo Model to connect systems, leadership, and people on its journey to receiving Shingo Silver in 2025. Danilo explores how active listening, leadership humility, direct observation, and a focus on behaviors helped engage employees and build a culture capable of sustaining results. He also shares practical insights into developing systems, using KPIs and KBIs, and creating an environment where people feel empowered to improve every day. For more information, please visit https://shingo.org .

July 31, 2026Episode 6124 min

Episode 61: Respect - The Practice Behind the Principle

What does it really mean to respect every individual—and how can leaders turn that principle into everyday practice? In this episode, Josh McEwan, manufacturing research and development director at O.C. Tanner, shares lessons from the organization’s transformation and his own leadership journey. Josh explains how listening to employees, removing obstacles, welcoming diverse perspectives, and giving people ownership can strengthen trust, collaboration, and results. Through candid stories of successes and mistakes, he shows why respectful leadership requires humility, honest feedback, and a genuine commitment to understanding the experiences of others. To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org .

July 23, 2026Episode 623 min

Episode 6: Back to Basics: Transformation, Leadership, and Continuous Improvement

In this Back to Basics episode, Shaun Barker welcomes Virginia Cosgriff, Operational Excellence Director at McGough, for a conversation about transformation, leadership, and continuous improvement across industries. Virginia began her career in healthcare before bringing her industrial engineering expertise to construction. Along the way, she's been "sneakily" applying the Shingo Model to strengthen culture and improve performance. Now, she's helping guide McGough on its formal Shingo Challenge journey. Discover how timeless principles can create lasting results—whether you're caring for patients, building hospital wings, or leading organizational transformation. To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org .

June 8, 2026Episode 516 min

Episode 5: Back to Basics: How Leadership Style Shapes Culture with Alisha Garrett

Unlock the power of leadership style in shaping the culture and performance of your organization. In this episode, we sit down with Alisha Garrett, Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer at Utah Transit Authority, to explore how a leader’s approach influences their teams, their systems, and the overall organizational environment. Alisha shares practical insights from her executive experience—highlighting the connection between leadership behaviors, strategic alignment, and the cultural outcomes that follow. Whether you're a seasoned leader or developing your leadership journey, this conversation offers valuable takeaways you can apply today. 🎧 Listen now and elevate your leadership impact. To learn more about the Shingo Model, please visit https://shingo.org .

May 29, 2026Episode 6030 min

Episode 60: You Can Be Lean and Creative

In this session, innovation excellence experts Norbert Majerus and Brian Abraham explore how the Shingo Model extends beyond Lean, serving as a powerful framework for building cultures where creativity and innovation thrive. Challenging the common belief that Lean stifles innovation, the presenters share insights and experiences that reveal the true barrier: organizational culture. After uncovering how fear of failure, misaligned leadership, and rigid processes often limit innovation, they reveal how the Shingo Model helps overcome these obstacles. In addition to highlighting practical strategies to foster psychological safety, empower employees at every level, and encourage experimentation through low-risk, high-impact approaches, the session showcases compelling examples, from employee-driven innovation systems to hands-on “moonshine labs,” that demonstrate how organizations can embed creativity into daily operations. With an emphasis on the importance of aligning innovation with strategy, this session outlines how to channel creative energy toward meaningful outcomes, ensuring that ideas deliver real value to both customers and the organization. Whether you’re leading a transformation or looking to ignite ideas, this session offers actionable insights to help you integrate innovation with operational excellence. Join us to learn how the Shingo Model can unlock the full creative potential of your people—and position your organization for sustained success. For more information, please visit https://shingo.org.

April 30, 2026Episode 5933 min

Episode 59: Leading Enterprise Excellence: Achieving Sustainable Results

Discover why culture change often fails—and what it takes to make it stick. Based on the book Leading Enterprise Excellence, this episode uncovers how aligning purpose, engaging people, and executing the right systems can drive sustainable results. You'll explore some of the Shingo Model’s powerful insights into how systems shape behavior and learn practical strategies for building a culture where continuous improvement thrives. Join us, and find out how to turn ideal behaviors into lasting organizational excellence. To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org .

March 31, 2026Episode 5832 min

Episode 58: Redefining Excellence - From Maturity to Mastery

This session explores one organization's evolution from industry excellence to Shingo maturity—and ultimately organizational mastery. Participants will examine distinct phases of excellence: industry excellence establishes credibility through measurable performance—quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction—while Shingo excellence deepens that foundation by aligning principles, systems, and behaviors, creating cultural stability and sustainable results by leveraging the Shingo Guiding Principles. But maturity is not the endpoint. As organizations grow in scale and complexity, excellence must continue to evolve. This session introduces five transformational principles that define mastery: contributing to society, embedding a philosophy, designing for experience, driving innovation, and learning continuously. Together, these principles expand excellence beyond optimization toward enduring impact. Attendees will gain insights into how high-performing organizations move from maintaining standards to redefining them, ensuring excellence evolves across leaders, generations, and changing conditions. To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org .

March 3, 2026Episode 5729 min

Episode 57: Improvement as a Human Endeavor

In this episode, we explore why sustainable continuous improvement depends less on tools and more on people. Using The Gund Company as a case study, we trace its two-decade journey from Lean tool adoption to a deeply embedded, people-centered system grounded in the Shingo Model. You’ll hear how leaders shifted from driving compliance to developing people—integrating respect, humility, and listening with practices like A3 problem-solving and meaningful gemba engagement. The result? World-class engagement and quality, sustained 15% annual growth, and a culture where people know their contributions matter. For more information, please visit https://shingo.org .

January 29, 202626 min

Episode 56: Leading Through Healthcare Disruption

Health care organizations are entering a period of significant disruption following the passage of H.R. 1, with deep Medicaid cuts, tighter eligibility requirements, and growing administrative complexity reshaping the care landscape—especially for safety-net providers. This moment raises a critical leadership challenge: how to continue delivering high-quality, safe, and accessible care while doing more with fewer resources. This webinar explores why Lean thinking is no longer optional, but essential, in navigating today’s turbulence and building long-term resilience. Drawing on lessons from past disruptions and real-world examples from leading health systems, we will examine how principle-based Lean frameworks help organizations improve cost, quality, access, and patient experience—even under intense pressure. Participants will learn how forward-thinking health care leaders use Lean to strengthen culture and engagement, align strategy with daily operations, redesign care delivery to improve access, reduce administrative burden, and thoughtfully integrate technology and AI. The session emphasizes Lean not as a set of tools, but as a leadership mindset that enables clarity, adaptability, and sustained performance in uncertain times. To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org/articles.

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