KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More
The KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast features content from our webinars. We also share conversations with KaiNexus team members and customers from time to time. This podcast brings you information about continuous improvement best practices, employee engagement, lean, six sigma (and related improvement disciplines) and more. Join us as we explore the nuances of creating a culture of continuous improvement, no matter your level of expertise or your industry.
Episodes
To be presented Sept 30 at 5 pm ET by Tracy O'Rourke.
Do you have a painful process, but people don’t seem to want to embrace change to improve it? Does it seem that people are comfortable with the status quo? One of the most powerful Change Management tools you have is…Gemba Walks!
Tracy O’Rourke
Co-Author "The Problem-Solver's Toolkit"
Co-Founder of the Just-in-Time Café
Co-Host of the Ju...
In this episode, Mark Graban reads a recent KaiNexus blog post by Danielle Yoon: “What Makes Employees Actually Participate in Continuous Improvement Programs?”
Employee participation is the heartbeat of any Lean or continuous improvement effort. Without it, even the best strategies stall. Drawing on research by Dr. Shweta Chopra and Jayaruwani Fernando—conducted inside a healthcare organization using the KaiNex...
Summary
The continuous improvement model is a systematic approach where organizations constantly implement small, incremental improvements to services, products, and processes. Built on seven core principles, this model enables businesses of any size to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and engage employees in meaningful change that directly supports strategic goals.
You’ve identified inefficiencies. You have a clear roadmap. You know your improvement initiative can move the needle. What's next? You need executive buy-in.
One of the most common challenges for CI and OpEx leaders is getting senior leadership to engage, support, and actively champion improvement work. It's not that leaders don't care about the performance of CI and OpEx initiatives, but because of a c...
Manufacturers in the automotive sector face significant pressures today, from rising material costs and supply chain disruptions to the demand for faster production times and stricter regulatory requirements. Achieving continuous quality improvement (CQI) remains critical, as it not only enhances product consistency and drives compliance but also helps manufacturers stay competitive in a market that is constantly evolv...
If you’re a CI leader, you’ve likely experienced the paradox: you’re driving improvements across the organization, but your executive team still sees your program as “supporting work” and not strategic work.
You may hear positive feedback, even encouragement. But behind closed doors, your program is being measured against a different standard.
The good news? The C-suite isn’t intentionally withholding their expec...
A webinar presented by Scott Gauvin, CEO of Macresco Consulting and the Co-founder of the Respect for People Roadmap
Learning objectives:
- Identify the hidden barriers that prevent Lean from gaining traction—and discover practical strategies to overcome them
- Learn the nine behaviors leaders and employees can adopt to build a culture of continuous improvement
- Gain strategic insights into driving cultural change...
In this special episode, I'm joined by Bill Canady, CEO of Arrowhead Engineered Products and Chairman of OTC Industrial Technologies. Bill has spent over 30 years leading companies to profitable growth, building what he calls the “Profitable Growth Operating System.” He’s also the author of The 80/20 CEO, with a second book, From Panic to Profit, on the way soon.
We recorded this live as part of the KaiNexus Continuous Improveme...
Presented by
Lindsey Booty, RN, BS, CNOR, is the Supervisor of Performance Improvement
Christopher Thomas, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at LSUHSC and Chief Quality Officer
LeaAnn Teague, MBA, MT(ASCP), SBB, PMP, is Sr. Director of Performance Improvement
from Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
In many hospitals, the process of recording, prioritizing, and addressing saf...
In this special preview episode, Mark Graban is joined by Lindsey Booty, Supervisor of Performance Improvement at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Lindsey shares how their team has built a culture of high reliability and accountability by combining weekly patient safety rounding with the powerful capabilities of KaiNexus—including weighted scoring and the SAFER Matrix.
Yo...
In this episode, we explore how continuous improvement serves as a key pillar within a broader operational excellence strategy in healthcare. While many organizations strive to enhance quality and efficiency, real progress happens when continuous improvement is not treated as an isolated initiative but as an embedded practice within a structured system. Operational excellence provides the strategy, alignment, and ...
Join Mark Graban and Greg Jacobson, CEO & Co-Founder of KaiNexus, as they explore the intersection of continuous improvement, checklist best practices, and the power of habit science. In this engaging episode of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast, the duo discusses:Checklist Strategies: How simple cues and error-proofing techniques keep processes on track—whether in a live webinar, office, or remote setting.Habit Scien...
Join Mark Graban on the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement podcast as he sits down with Jeff Roussel, KaiNexus’ Chief Revenue Officer, to explore the evolving role of sales, marketing, and leadership in driving continuous improvement and operational excellence within organizations.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- Career Evolution & Leadership: Jeff reflects on his 11-year journey at KaiNexus—from a focus on sales to embracing a b...
Presented by Shawna Forst, Performance Excellence, Quality & Risk Coordinator at MercyOne Newton Medical Center
What do physical education teachers and performance excellence professionals have in common? More than you think! This session will feature one former P.E. Teacher's perspective on the similarities between coaching kids and leading quality and improvement efforts in the workplace while also sharing h...
Register to view the webinar (live or the recording)Welcome to another engaging episode of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast, hosted by Mark Graban. In this session, we present a sneak peek into our upcoming webinar featuring Shawna Forst, a former Physical Education teacher turned Process Excellence professional. The webinar, scheduled for March 5th at 1:00 PM Eastern, will explore the fascinating parallels between PE te...
In this engaging episode of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast, hostMark Graban welcomesGreg Jacobson, Co-Founder and CEO of KaiNexus, to discuss the much-anticipated KaiNexicon, the company's annual user conference. The conversation not only highlights the logistics and plans for the 2025 KaiNexicon but also dives into the essence of continuous improvement and the unique setup that makes this co...
To view the webinar recording, for slides, and more
Presented by Mark Graban
Hosted by Linda Vicaro
Are you looking for practical ways to eliminate errors and enhance efficiency in your organization? Join us for "Mistake-Proofing in Action: Real-World Examples Across Industries," an insightful webinar showcasing how organizations across healthcare, manufacturing, and service sectors have successfully implemented mistake-...
February 12 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Presented by Mark Graban
Are you looking for practical ways to eliminate errors and enhance efficiency in your organization? Join us for "Mistake-Proofing in Action: Real-World Examples Across Industries," an insightful webinar showcasing how organizations across healthcare, manufacturing, and service sectors have successfully implemented mistake-proofing tech...
We are often asked if continuous improvement and operational excellence are the same. They are not, but they are closely related. Continuous improvement involves constantly improving your business processes to reduce waste, cut costs, improve quality, and maximize human potential. It focuses on making each existing process perfect. Operational excellence goes further. It involves setting the organization up for g...
Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, once said, “Without Standard Work, there is no Kaizen.” That’s a pretty bold statement, but when you think about the continuous improvement cycle, it makes a lot of sense. How can you move from the current state to the desired state if the current state is a moving target? Standard Work, which documents the current best practice for performing a task or p...
Popular Podcasts
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.