There's a Better Way

Operational Excellence Podcasts

Episodes

• Open/Close Episode 1: Lean Thinking at the Columbus Regional Airport
  January 22, 2019

  Episode 1: Lean Thinking at the Columbus Regional Airport

  How does a government shutdown affect the operations at the John Glenn International airport? What about an approaching snow storm? This episode, we'll sit down with Charles Goodwin, director of airport operations at Columbus Regional Airport Authority and MBOE class of 2012, who will discuss how lean thinking and standard work allow for smooth operations even during a time of uncertainty.

• Open/Close Episode 6: Center for Operational Excellence
  April 2, 2019

  Episode 6: Center for Operational Excellence
  
  The Center for Operational Excellence at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business works alongside their members to foster a problem-solving culture that’s grounded in tried-and-true operational excellence tools, and that’s constant and far-reaching. This week Aravind sits down with Kelly Reo, executive director, and Matt Burns, associate director of marketing, to learn more about the mission of COE and how they're helping companies in and outside Central Ohio. 

• Open/Close Episode 7: Daily Huddles at Mayo Clinic
  April 16, 2019
  

  Episode 7: Daily Huddles at Mayo Clinic
  
  Dr. David Rushlow, chief medical officer at Mayo Health Systems Southwest Wisconsin region and MBOE alumnus, speaks with Aravind about how adding 5-10 minute daily care team huddles has proven to be incredibly effective in improving performance in patient safety, quality and satisfaction.

• Open/Close Episode 9: Strategy Deployment: Structure, Environment, Capability
  May 14, 2019

  Episode 9: Strategy Deployment: Structure, Environment, Capability
  
  Ellis Jones, senior director of global environment, health, safety and sustainability for Goodyear, and MBOE alumnus, sat down with Aravind to discuss strategy deployment and how he's used principles of Operational Excellence within his role. 

• Open/Close Episode 11: The Changing Operations at Mid-Ohio Foodbank
  June 11, 2019

  Episode 11: The Changing Operations at Mid-Ohio Foodbank
  
  Foodbank operations go beyond providing meals to those in need. Matt Habash, president and CEO of Mid-Ohio Foodbank, sits down with Aravind to discuss how foodbanks are transforming, and how providing regular access to fresh food is positively affecting healthcare costs and outcomes. Mid-Ohio Foodbank is changing the way customers talk and think about their services, so more people will access the help they provide. The Mid-Ohio Foodbank has been around over 40 years with a mission to end hunger one nourishing meal at a time. Currently, the MBOE cohort is working with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank to address some of their challenges.

• Open/Close Episode 14: United States Postal Service
  July 30, 2019

  Episode 14: United States Postal Service
  
  How does a package get from an Amazon warehouse to your front step? What processes are in place to keep those packages moving and employees safe? The United States Postal Service (USPS) uses operational excellence strategies to keep this complex organization moving forward. Linda Richmond, an MBOE alumna, and Western Area Master Black Belt for the United States Postal Service, sat down with Aravind to discuss her role and how she utilized her learnings from the MBOE program within USPS.

• Open/Close Episode 15: Lean Transformation in Detroit
  August 14, 2019

  Episode 15: Lean Transformation in Detroit

  Bethany Melitz grew up with lean and now serves as the Director of Lean (Continuous Improvement) for the City of Detroit. She sat down with Aravind to share the various initiatives happening in Detroit and how they are getting the community involved with the city's comeback. Bethany and her "lean team" are making a big impact with everything from road conditions to job placement.

• Open/Close Episode 16: The Spine Institute
  August 28, 2019

  Episode 16: The Spine Institute

  Spine problems are a costly issue world-wide due to the lack of understanding of the definitive cause of pain for each patient. Bill Marras, executive director and scientific director of the Spine Research Institute sat down with Aravind to discuss how they are using an operational excellence approach to solve this problem. The Spine Research Institute is using objective engineering techniques to nail down specific problems causing back pain in order to create individualized and direct treatment plans, resulting in less time and money used to provide the patient with relief.

• Open/Close Episode 17: Nationwide Insurance
  September 10, 2019

  Episode 17: Nationwide Insurance

  Guru Vasudeva, senior vice president and chief information officer of program and application services at Nationwide Mutual Insurance, sat down with Aravind to discuss how such a large corporation uses a variety of lean tools, including visual management, to create a lean management system.

• Open/Close Episode 19: Lean Transformation in Healthcare
  October 8, 2019

  Episode 19: Lean Transformation in Healthcare

  Dr. John Toussaint, executive chairman of Catalysis Inc., is passionate about lean transformation in healthcare and has worked over the years to implement operational excellence principles in order to change the way healthcare is delivered. Aravind sat down with Dr. Toussaint to discuss his work with over 221 health systems and the variety of situations he’s come across, and the type of leadership necessary to create change.

• Open/Close Episode 23: Structure within Creativity
  December 3, 2019

  Episode 23: Structure within Creativity

  At first glance, structured approaches seem incompatible with creative problem-solving approaches. This week, Dr. Elliot Bendoly, distinguished professor of management sciences, sits down to harmonize these two tools and give managers a framework for high-performance problem solving.

• Open/Close Episode 24: Lean Accounting
  December 17, 2019

  Episode 24: Lean Accounting

  It's a common misconception that lean in accounting equates to merely a cost-cutting tool. Chairman of the Lean Enterprise Institute, Jean Cunningham, sits down with Aravind this week to discuss a broader model of lean in accounting. Through improved decision-making and impact on the five different "levers" of financial outcomes, Cunningham discusses the impact of lean accounting on value creation.

• Open/Close Episode 25: A Better Way to Lean
  January 7, 2020

  Episode 25: A Better Way to Lean

  Jim Womack, father of the lean movement, looks at business processes both vertically and horizontally to help answer the question of how to make lean work. As a founder and current senior advisor of the Lean Enterprise Institute, Womack shares his insights on value creation, innovation, and customer understanding.

• Open/Close Episode 33: Airline Operations and COVID-19
  April 28, 2020

  Episode 33: Airline Operations and COVID-19

  The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be indiscriminate against person and industry. Aravind recently sat down with Jason Reeder, aviation pilot and 2019 MBOE graduate. Jason explains how airline companies are adjusting to meet the flux in demand and attempting to minimize the spread of the virus aboard the aircrafts.