Shingo Publication Award Given to Becoming the Change

LOGAN, Utah, April 17, 2023 — The Shingo Institute, a program of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has awarded John Toussaint, MD and Kim Barnas the Shingo Publication Award for their book, Becoming the Change: Leadership Behavior Strategies for Continuous Improvement in Healthcare.

“Receipt of the Shingo Publication Award signifies an author’s significant contribution and practical application to the body of knowledge regarding organizational excellence,” says Ken Snyder, executive director of the Shingo Institute.

Becoming the Change is a powerful new approach to healthcare leadership. The book showcases executives in health systems around the world as they practice behavior-based solutions to organizational problems, support continuous improvement, reflect and assess themselves as leaders, and achieve better results for patients. Drawing on a wealth of behavioral research, industry case studies, and personal insights from healthcare professionals, Becoming the Change explores how change in the healthcare industry actually happens―from the inside out, top to bottom, throughout the whole organization. The book is more than a leadership guide to revolutionizing healthcare. It is about being a force for change that makes life better for patients, caregivers, and stakeholders.

“John Toussaint and Kim Barnas have instigated and observed more experiments in organizational transformation in healthcare than anyone anywhere in the world,” said James P. Womack, PhD, founder and senior advisor at Lean Enterprise Institute. “They have found that the key element in any sustainable transformation is new beliefs and management practices by leaders. In this book, they offer a plan for every healthcare leader to truly become the change in the quality and productivity of their organization—along with enhanced patient and employee experience—by first changing their own behavior. It isn’t easy and it requires perseverance, but it is possible, and Becoming the Change shows how.”

Commenting on the award-recipient book, John Shook, chairman of Lean Global Network, said, “Personal transformation without organizational transformation is difficult. It isn’t easy to be an island of Lean thinking surrounded by a turbulent sea of conclusion-jumping followed by analysis paralysis. Becoming the change means exactly that: the transformation we so desperately need today will occur only when those of us who lead embrace the transformation personally.”

The authors will receive their award at the Awards Gala during the Shingo Conference in Provo, Utah, USA on May 23, 2023. The conference features benchmarking tours, workshops, keynote speakers, and interactive break-out sessions designed to provide ongoing knowledge, insights, and experience for organizations in pursuit of operational excellence. To learn more about the conference, please visit https://shingo.org/events.

To order your copy of Becoming the Change: Leadership Behavior Strategies for Continuous Improvement in Healthcare, visit https://shingo.org/books.

About the Shingo Institute

The Shingo Institute is home of the Shingo Prize, an award that recognizes organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture that fosters continuous improvement. Part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota adviser, Shigeo Shingo. Dr. Shingo distinguished himself as one of the world’s thought leaders in concepts, management systems, and improvement techniques that have become known as the Toyota Production System.

Drawing from Dr. Shingo’s teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model, which is the basis for its several educational offerings, including workshops, study tours, and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute’s Licensed Affiliates. For more information on workshops, affiliates, or to register to attend the Annual Shingo Conference, please visit www.shingo.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mary Price, Events and Marketing Manager
Shingo Institute
Phone: +1.435.760.0711
Email: mary.price@usu.edu