Episode 59: The Current State of Continuous Improvement with Ken Robinette

On this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, Ken Robinette joins host Dan Swartwout. Ken is MoreSteam’s Vice President of Business Development and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He spends his days talking with OpEx leaders about what works and where things might be headed next. Ken has also been on the road at events like the ASQ World Conference and the IISE Healthcare Conference, where he heard what OpEx and CI leaders are talking about right now. With that perspective and his decades of experience, Ken gives a real‑world look at the current state of continuous improvement, operational excellence, and Lean Six Sigma.

Ken talks about what it feels like to be “afflicted with busy” in the middle of an organization. Your calendar is packed. The work keeps piling up. But guess what? Continuous improvement still needs your attention. Ken also discusses what happens when experience walks out the door and the next wave of talent might not be ready yet. When that happens, people sometimes hope that AI or a new org chart will fix it.

At one point, Dan asks Ken about coaching Ad Godinez through Ohio State’s Master of Business in Operational Excellence program. One morning, Ad surprised Ken by showing up at MoreSteam HQ to thank him in front of the whole company. Ad told the story from his perspective on Episode 51. Now you get to hear Ken’s take. Ken also talks about his recent presentations on problem statements and game-based simulation. By the end of this episode, you may look at the current state of your own CI efforts and ask a harder question. Are we building the conditions for real improvement? Or are we just asking people to squeeze it in around everything else?

In this episode, you will hear about:

0:18 - Curren trends in operational excellence and continuous improvement

3:30 - Game-based learning and simulations

6:26 - Additional challenges facing OpEx leaders

11:04 - Conversations with OpEx leaders about AI

14:34 - Writing good Lean Six Sigma problem statements

17:51 - Lean Six Sigma experts who are also great leaders

20:48 - Coaching Ad Godinez in The Ohio State University’s MBOE program

24:48 - Common challenges across multiple industries

Additional Resources:

Ken Robinette on LinkedIn

Ken’s Webinar on Lean Six Sigma Problem Statements

Ken’s First Appearance on Quality Time With MoreSteam

Ken’s Presentation on Generative AI

Ad Godinez on Quality Time With MoreSteam

MoreSteam's YouTube Channel

Quality Time With MoreSteam on Facebook

Quality Time With MoreSteam on Instagram

Quality Time With MoreSteam on LinkedIn

MoreSteam's Website

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MoreSteam on LinkedIn

Dan Swartwout on LinkedIn

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Dan Swartwout Headshot
Dan Swartwout

Host • MoreSteam

Dan Swartwout is the host of Quality Time with MoreSteam. A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Dan is a double Buckeye. He earned both a BA and a law degree from The Ohio State University. Before joining MoreSteam, Dan had a long career as a host, comedian, and master of ceremonies. For 17 years, Dan was the studio audience host for the Ohio Lottery game show Cash Explosion. Dan was also the host of CBuzz, which was a collaboration between the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, WWCD 92.9, and the Columbus Dispatch. On CBuzz, Dan interviewed some of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Central Ohio. From 2002-2020, Dan toured the country as a standup comedian. Tracks from his comedy CD have been played over 5,000 times on Sirius/XM satellite radio. Now, Dan brings his experience and enthusiasm to Quality Time with MoreSteam -- it's business and fun, together.

Ken Robinette

MoreSteam

Ken Robinette joined MoreSteam in July of 2023 as the Vice President of Business Development. He is responsible for developing, executing, and overseeing a business strategy that prioritizes growth and positive customer ratings. He has over 30 years of business experience in various markets and functional roles, including Sales, Design, Production Management, and Process Improvement. Prior to joining MoreSteam, Ken spent over 18 years in the healthcare industry, working at Cardinal Health and Scapa Healthcare. He is trained and certified in the Danaher Business System by Shingjutsu Kaizen and in Six Sigma by General Electric.

Ken has a B.S. in Aerospace Technology from Kent State and an M.B.A. in Operations Management and Quality from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Continuous ImprovementOperational ExcellenceLean Six SigmaAI

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