Lean Residency Program

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DID YOU KNOW?
Fundamental Lean Concepts for Anyone is a 1-day session that gives you a "taste of Lean" and is available to schedule on-site. 


Lean Residency Program 2026 will be held March-August 2026.

  • The first day of each learning session is held from 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm CT, and the second day from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm CT.
  • Four 2-day and one 1-day in-person learning sessions, plus three 3-hr virtual coaching sessions.

The intent of the program is to help leaders understand the basic principles of Lean including its impact on problem solving, leadership, engagement and culture. Following the completion of this program, leaders will be able to identify waste, manage projects efficiently, utilize Lean tools, engage and empowering their staff, and develop a team of change agents. The impact of this program has potential to spark positive change within departments, across various levels of patient care and ultimately your overall culture.

Program Objectives

  • Understand the principles of Lean including its impact on problem solving, leadership, engagement and culture
  • Identify and use Lean tools that help aid in problem solving
  • Discover how to empower and coach staff to utilize the Lean tools
  • Understand how to engage staff in owning their work and using the tools to improve their work
  • Identify leadership skills needed to create highly engaged teams
  • Differentiate what it means to lead versus manage others
  • Identify your social style, how it impacts your leadership style and how to engage team members and work collaboratively with others

Schedule

Learning Session   Focus

SESSION 1:
Lean Leadership

“How do I show up as a Lean Leader?”

“What is Lean and how does it apply to me as a leader in healthcare?"

      • Introduction to Improvement Culture
      • Concepts of Value and the Voice of the Customer
      • PDSA Cycle
      • Creating the “Why”
      • Coach vs. Manager
      • Humble Inquiry
      • Removing Blame and Judgment
      • Building Trust & Safety
      • Observation
      • 9 Wastes
      • 6S
      • A-3

SESSION 2 :
Lean Tools and Environment

“What tools can we utilize to help my team move toward a specific goal?”

“How do I set my environment up for success?”

      • Personality Style
      • Communication and Collaboration
      • Conflict
      • Feedback vs. Judgement
      • Change Management
      • Meeting Management
      • Process Flow Charts
      • Standard Work
      • Visual Management
      • Huddle Boards

SESSION 3 :
Lean Daily Management

“How do we make Lean a part of how we work?”

      • 4 Rules in Use
      • Kamishibai Board
      • Kanban System Measuring Performance
      • SIPOC
      • Value Stream Mapping
      • Psychological Safety
      • Understanding Flow
      • Generating Improvement Ideas
      • Leading vs. Lagging Data

SESSION 4:
Lean Leadership

“How do we make Lean a part of how we lead?”

      • Leader Standard Work
      • A3 Sustainment
      • Coaching and Guiding Improvement
      • Engagement
      • Stay Interviews and 1:1s
      • Communication to Stakeholders

SESSION 5:
Lean Future

“How do we make it part of our culture?”

      • Putting it all together: Leadership philosophy, coaching and the tools
      • Strategy Alignment
      • Creation of a personal commitment and action plan
      • Sharing Key Learnings, Project Outcomes, Personal “wins”
      • Graduation

Contact:

Erin Smital, RN, Nursing Professional Development Educator, Nurse Residency Coordinator, RWHC, esmital@rwhc.com , or call 608-643-1066 .