Norman Bodek

Early life

In 1979, after working for 18 years with data processing companies, Bodek started Productivity Inc. and Press (which became an imprint of CRC Press) by publishing a newsletter called 'Productivity'.

In 1980, he attended an Industry Week conference in New York, where Joji Arai, manager with Japan Productivity Center, spoke about his role in bringing Japanese business people to the US to study American industry. Bodek asked Arai if he could bring Americans to Japan to study Japanese management. Arai agreed and set up Bodek's first study mission to Japan.

Productivity Press discovered Shigeo Shingo in 1981 and published some of its first books in 1983 and 1985.

Later work and visits to Japan

Bodek's fascination with manufacturing led him to Japan and a lifelong exploration of the methods behind Japanese quality and productivity.

Over three decades, up until 2016, Bodek went to Japan 86 times, visited more than 250 plants and published over 250 management books. As a fortune cookie once told him, "You have the talent to discover the talent in others."

Bodek claims to have found tools, techniques and new thoughts that have revolutionized the world of manufacturing. He met Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Dr. Joseph Juran, Phil Crosby, Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa, Dr. Yoji Akao, Mr. Taiichi Ohno, Dr. Shigeo Shingo and other manufacturing masters and published many of their books in English. Each person he met gave him a new perspective on continuous improvement, and helped him to better understand links between the functional areas of the Toyota management system, and the value of Lean, Kaizen in achieving quality and continuous improvement.

Bodek lead more than 25 study missions to Japan. He was one of the first to publish books and training materials on SMED, CEDAC, Quality Control Circles, 5S, and the Visual Factory Total Productive Maintenance, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen and Kaizen Blitz, Cell Design, Poka-Yoke, Andon, Hoshin Kanri, and Kanban. Other books followed, on topics including total quality management.

Many of these topics form the building blocks of the Toyota Production System, which, in turn, is the basis for what came to be called Lean Manufacturing in America. So, for example, a book on Lean Accounting can be seen as Westerner's guide to creating a Toyota-like accounting system.

In the 1980s Bodek ran conferences and seminars, and brought Japanese authors to America. He initiated a number of publishing-partnerships that would span several years. For instance, under Bodek's leadership Productivity Press first published Shingo in 1985 and Hirano in 1989. There were more titles by Hirano from Productivity in the 1990s, and PCS in 2006.

Bodek said his most powerful discovery was the way Toyota and other Japanese companies opened the infinite creative potential often lying dormant inside every single worker.

"When you unlock this hidden talent people become highly motivated and actually love to come to work," he said.

Since 1999 Bodek has focused on Toyota's second pillar "Respect for People, employee-development and employee-empowerment."

Harada Method: the human side to Lean

The Harada Method is designed to teach people how to be great leaders, coaches, and to build a winning team.

On his 75th trip to Japan, Bodek met Mr Takashi Harada, who Bodek believed has the ultimate recipe for competing against low-cost labor in China and India. By 2011 the Harada Method had become recognized as one of the most systematic ways to enhance employee development. Harada has been adopted by Kirin Brewery, Uniqlo (retail clothing), Nomura Securities (financial services), The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, and Chugai Pharmaceuticals.

Harada sees his method as the next step in the Lean journey. He believes it integrates easily with Six Sigma, Hoshin Planning, and other continuous improvement efforts, to give real substance to what Toyota calls “respect for people.” Bodek claims employers can use Harada to embed continuous improvement in workplace culture.

The essence of the Harada Method is “self-reliance.” Self-reliance is the ability of each person to become so skilled at something that she or he is virtually irreplaceable. They become artisans in disciplines that serves their future and also the success of their organization. People are fully trusted to make responsible decisions for themselves and for the organization they work for. Shohei Otani, the MVP in Japanese professional baseball, used the Harada Method when he was a Sophomore in High School, setting his clear goal to a be a great baseball player. Recent rumors are he is worth over $300 million when he joins the American Professional Baseball League in 2018.

Teaching

As adjunct professor at Portland State University's School of Business Administration, Bodek taught, "The Best of Japanese Management Practices." In addition to a focus on lean tools and techniques, Bodek also teaches the Harada Method to his students. His books including How to do Kaizen were among the readings for the 'ISQA 410' course in logistics, for Spring 2012.

Recognition

In 2005, Bodek won the Books and Monographs category of the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing, a prize that awards companies worldwide that "achieve world-class operational excellence status," for his book, Kaikaku, The Power and Magic of Lean.

In 2010, Bodek was inducted into Industry Week's Manufacturing Hall of Fame. The award recognized him as one of a team of "industrial superstars whose collective careers have had an immeasurable impact and influence on U.S. manufacturing."