📖 Description

In this episode of the Improvement Nerds Podcast, host Mark Ryan welcomes back Jim Benson, creator of Personal Kanban and co-author of The Collaboration Equation.

If you caught their first conversation, you know it was a deep dive into how visualizing work and limiting WIP can transform not just productivity—but how we think and feel about our work. In this follow-up, Jim and Mark go beyond the board, exploring what it truly means to make work more human.

Together they discuss how to connect strategy to action, align teams across levels, and navigate change through respect, visualization, and collaboration. From Kanban to Obeya, from X-Matrices to leadership maturity, this is an episode for every improvement nerd who believes that better processes start with better people.

So grab your notebook and join us as we wage war on bad process—and remember to leave your processes better than you found them.

🕒 Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Intro
Mark welcomes Jim Benson back to the show and recaps their first conversation on Personal Kanban.

02:15 – What Is Personal Kanban?
Jim breaks down the two rules—visualize your work and limit WIP—and how they lead to focus and flow.

07:30 – Cognitive Overload & the Zeigarnik Effect
How unfinished work clutters the mind—and why managing flow frees creative energy.

10:40 – Visualizing the Work Ahead
Why real-time visual systems like A3s, heat maps, and obeyas matter in a rapidly changing world.

15:50 – Obeya Explained
The “war room” concept that connects strategy to frontline work—and brings teams together in real time.

22:10 – From Goals to Tactics
Mark and Jim explore how GOST frameworks and X-Matrices help leaders see alignment across all levels.

29:45 – Flattening Power Distance
How transparency builds trust and shifts executive conversations from reporting to real collaboration.

35:20 – Coaching Through Complexity
Why maturity isn’t linear—and how great teams rebound, learn, and grow together.

47:00 – Lessons from Turner Construction
A real-world case of leadership buy-in, respect for people, and small experiments that scale big change.

55:20 – Respect for People as the Foundation of Lean
Why empathy and continuous improvement must coexist for real results.

59:45 – The Future of Lean and Agile
What’s next for improvement as organizations shift, regress, and evolve.

1:06:10 – The Recipe Book Metaphor
How blending frameworks—Lean, Agile, Six Sigma—creates better outcomes than rigid adherence.

1:10:25 – Navigating Power and ROI
Jim’s advice to CI professionals on communicating value and protecting the craft.

1:17:15 – Staying Connected and Waging War on Bad Process
Why the improvement community must stay united, adaptive, and people-focused.

1:21:00 – Outro
Mark closes the conversation with a reminder: Keep improving, keep learning, keep nerding out, and remember to leave your processes better than you found them.

💡 Key Takeaways

Visualization turns chaos into clarity.

The best systems evolve around people, not the other way around.

Maturity isn’t a destination—it’s the ability to adapt.

Respect and curiosity drive sustainable improvement.

True value is shown through engagement, not just metrics.

🔗 Connect with Jim Benson

🌐 modusinstitute.com

💼 Jim Benson on LinkedIn

📰 humaneWork.substack.com

Tags:

PersonalKanban, Kanban, Lean, LeanSixSigma, Obeya, VisualManagement, ContinuousImprovement, OperationalExcellence, Agile, StrategyDeployment, HoshinKanri, XMATRIX, Flow, WIPLimits, SystemsThinking, PsychologicalSafety, ChangeManagement, ProjectManagement, WorkDesign, MakeWorkMoreHuman