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Draft:John Shook

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John Shook (born 1952, Tennessee, USA) is an industrial anthropologist and a pioneer of lean management principles in North America. He is known for his contributions to value stream mapping[1][2] and the A3 problem-solving method, which have become foundational practices in lean thinking.

Early Career and Work at Toyota

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In 1983, John Shook joined Toyota, where he became the first American employee at Toyota’s headquarters in Toyota City, Japan. He worked closely with Toyota’s management team to help transfer the Toyota Production System (TPS) to North America.[3] As the first American "kacho" (manager) in Japan, he was instrumental in adapting TPS methods to fit the context of the joint venture between Toyota and General Motors, known as the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, California.[4][5] He later worked as deputy general manager of the Toyota Supplier Support Center, coaching companies on adopting lean management principles in North America.[6]

Contributions to Lean Thinking

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Shook’s experiences at Toyota laid the groundwork for his later contributions to lean management. He is best known for co-developing value-stream mapping with Mike Rother—a method to visualize and optimize production processes by mapping the flow of materials and information. Value-stream mapping has since become a core tool in lean methodology, helping organizations identify and eliminate waste.

Another significant contribution from Shook is popularising the A3 problem-solving method, which emphasizes structured problem-solving and continuous improvement.

NUMMI and Cultural Change

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In an article for MIT Sloan Management Review, Shook described his experiences at NUMMI and highlighted how behavioral changes were key to the cultural transformation at the plant. His insights emphasize that effective cultural change requires initially changing behaviors, not beliefs—showing employees the practices needed to achieve success and reinforcing those practices.[7] The article won the MIT Sloan Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize award for outstanding contributions to organizational development.[8]

Academic and Consulting Roles

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Shook was a faculty member at the University of Michigan, where he directed the Japan Technology Management Program and taught in the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering.[9] He later joined the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), founded by lean expert James P. Womack, where he served as chairman from 2010 to 2019.[10]

Publications

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Shook is the author and co-author of several influential books on lean methodology:

  • Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate MUDA (1998)
  • Managing to Learn (2008)
  • Kaizen Express (2009)
  • Toyota’s Secret: The A3 Report (2009)
  • How to Change a Culture: Lessons from NUMMI (2010)

Awards and Recognition

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Shook’s work in lean manufacturing has earned him several prestigious awards:

  • Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Research: awarded in 1999 and 2009.[11]
  • MIT Sloan Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize: awarded for outstanding contributions to organizational development.[12]
  • Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Hall of Fame: inducted in 2013.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Womack, James P.; Jones, Daniel T. (1996). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. Productivity Press. p. 316.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Liker, Jeffrey (2003). The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles From the World's Greatest Manufacturer. McGraw Hill. p. 275.
  3. ^ Huntzinger, Jim (2001). The Roots of Lean - Training Within Industry: The Origin of Japanese Management and Kaizen and Other Insights. Lean Frontier. p. 20.
  4. ^ "Setting the record straight on lean". MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  5. ^ "The 2011 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize". MIT Sloan Management Review. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  6. ^ Womack, James P.; Jones, Daniel T. (2003). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. Free Press. p. 344.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Humble, Jez; Molesky, Joanne; O'Reilly, Barry (2015). Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale. O'Reilly Media. pp. 280–281.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "The 2011 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize". MIT Sloan Management Review. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  9. ^ "Learning from Japan's Technology Management". Journal of the International Institute. University of Michigan International Institute. 1994. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  10. ^ "Lean Enterprise Institute Names Jean Cunningham as Its New Executive Chairman". Lean Enterprise Institute. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  11. ^ "Publication Award". Shingo Institute. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  12. ^ "The 2011 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize". MIT Sloan Management Review. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  13. ^ "AME Hall of Fame". 21 January 2015. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
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