Continuous Improvement and the Need to Improve LESS - Lean Insights from Chad Bareither

My guest for Episode #494 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Chad Bareither, the founder and principal consultant of Bareither Group Consulting. He brings a wealth of experience as a change agent in the corporate world, having worked with organizations that include several Fortune 500 companies.

He's now the author of a new book, Improve LESS: The Focus and Align Framework for Sustainable Continuous Improvement.

Chad holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and has further honed his expertise with Master's degrees in both Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Applied Statistics from Rutgers University.

In this episode, we discuss his experience in various industries where, of course, Lean is not about building cars. We also discuss his book, the "Focus and Align Framework," and why trying to improve less can lead to greater results.

Questions, Notes, and Highlights:

What's your Lean origin story?
Civilian role with the U.S. Army – working with the manufacturers / suppliers vs. internal Army processes?
Can't copy and paste? “We don't build cars”??
Becoming a consultant? Being an outsider vs. insider – what have you learned about that?
The story behind the book — why this book?
Tell us about the common problem statement and the current state — trying to do too many things, being too busy?
The “focus and align” framework?

The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries.


Join us on another thought-provoking episode of Lean Blog Interviews, hosted by Mark Graban. Today’s episode features an engaging dialogue with Chad Bareither, a respected name in the realm of continuous improvement. Diving deeply into the crux of his new book, “Improve Less: The Focus and Align Framework for Sustainable Continuous Improvement,” our guests provide keen insights on how companies can master and apply continuous improvement to fuel their drive towards excellence.

Chad Bareither, besides being an accomplished professional in the corporate world, is also an esteemed educator and transformative innovator. His extensive knowledge, stemming from various disciplines such as mechanical engineering, industrial systems engineering, and applied statistics, equips him with the ability to bring forth a multidimensional approach to continuous improvement, as witnessed in several Fortune 500 companies and the U. S. Army. As a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, his credentials are unassailable, marking him out as a specialist in driving positive change within organizations.