Shingo Principles Podcast

In today’s episode, we’re exploring a foundational yet often overlooked element of continuous improvement: psychological safety. It's the belief that team members can speak up—about mistakes, concerns, and ideas—without fear of punishment. And it’s not just a “nice-to-have”—it’s a must-have for any organization striving to learn and grow. Drawing insights from The Mistakes That Make Us and the powerful principles of the Shingo Model, we’ll unpack how leading organizations like Toyota create cultures where mistakes become opportunities—not for blame, but for learning and improvement. To learn more, please visit https://shinog.org/articles [https://shinog.org/articles] and https://www.markgraban.com/shingo2025/ [https://www.markgraban.com/shingo2025/].

Achieving the Shingo Prize or reaching the highest levels of the Shingo Behavioral Scale is a remarkable accomplishment—but it’s not the final destination. The real question is: what comes next? In this episode, we explore the shift from maturity to mastery in organizational excellence. Maturity brings stability and best practices, but mastery breaks boundaries, redefines industries, and sets new standards. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese concept of Takumi—a lifelong pursuit of perfection—we’ll uncover three key steps to move beyond sustaining excellence and into pioneering innovation. If you’re ready to push past benchmarks and redefine what excellence truly means, stay tuned. To learn more, please visit: shingo.org/articles [https://shingo.org/articles]

In this podcast, Robert Martichenko, Shingo Publication recipient and chair of TrailPath Workplace Solutions and founder of LeanCor Supply Chain Group will discuss how we need to truly believe that respect and improvement in our work can be guiding principles for organizational decisions, leadership behaviors, and team member participation. Listeners will learn how an employment environment is elevated through a clear commitment to every team member inside the organization.  To learn more, please visit https://shingo.org/articles.

In this podcast, Peter Barnett, Director of Executive Education at the Shingo Institute will cover how coaching can transform your organization’s culture and drive lasting change. In the fast-paced world of continuous improvement, simply teaching problem-solving skills isn’t enough. Coaching is the key to empowering employees, fostering accountability, and unlocking their full potential. We’ll explore effective coaching techniques that build problem-solving capabilities, encourage collaboration, and create a culture of learning. Learn how to coach for skill development, reinforce new behaviors, and keep teams aligned with organizational goals. To learn more about the Shingo Model, please visit https://shingo.org. Handout: https://usu.box.com/s/zgxk45bogrmr4uhcjsgavvoz6t9fyduq [https://usu.box.com/s/zgxk45bogrmr4uhcjsgavvoz6t9fyduq]

In this podcast Cheryl Jekiel, a Shingo Faculty Fellow, redefines sustainable learning by addressing why traditional training often fails. With more than 25 years of experience, she highlights key challenges like vague goals and misaligned leadership. Cheryl introduces a practical tool that clarifies expectations, breaks skills into steps, and aligns them with organizational systems. She emphasizes active engagement, coaching, and practice to bridge the gap between training and performance. She emphasizes that by fostering communities of practice and embedding new behaviors into routines, organizations can build lasting capabilities. Attendees gain actionable insights to create a culture of learning that drives resilience, collaboration, and meaningful, measurable results. To learn more about this topic, please visit: https://shingo.org/building-sustainable-capabilities/ [https://shingo.org/building-sustainable-capabilities/] Handout 1: https://usu.box.com/s/m7hj0ylo7otcuzkxffz22si6z1p1wuio [https://usu.box.com/s/m7hj0ylo7otcuzkxffz22si6z1p1wuio] Handout 2: https://usu.box.com/s/olb8nod1vcfq0q4j6jgi2ajqne211zma [https://usu.box.com/s/olb8nod1vcfq0q4j6jgi2ajqne211zma]