Episode 38: Keep Asking Why with Eric Olsen
Dan welcomes back Eric Olson to Quality Time with MoreSteam. Eric is a professor of industrial technology at Cal Poly State University and lead of the Future of People at Work Initiative. In this episode, the conversation shifts focus from AI to workplace dynamics and lean education.
At the start of the conversation, generational differences in today's workforce take center stage. Then, Eric and Dan talk about building lean communities from the ground up and the challenges of scaling improvement initiatives. Eric also describes his hands-on approach to teaching the Green Belt curriculum at Cal Poly. For teams looking to get started with Lean, Eric suggests starting with simple questions to help nurture a culture of continuous improvement.
This is another fun episode. Eric tells us why the future of people at work should include a midday nap. And be prepared! You might find yourself debating whether butter belongs in the refrigerator or on the counter.
In this episode, you will hear about:
1:29 - The next generation of workers
4:49 - Central Coast Lean
8:57 - Teaching Green Belt at Cal Poly
16:01 - Start out by asking “why?”
18:58 - Questioning a process
22:43 - Financial performance in Lean organizations
24:40 - Talking to CEO’s who don’t know about Lean
25:51 - The next Future of People at Work symposium
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Professor of Industrial Technology • Cal Poly State University
Dr. Olsen recently served as Area Chair and Professor of Industrial and Packaging Technology in the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. Dr. Olsen teaches undergraduate and master’s courses in lean thinking, six sigma, and operations management. Dr. Olsen had over 20 years of industry experience in engineering and manufacturing management at Caterpillar, Litton, and Hewlett Packard before getting his PhD at The Ohio State University. His dissertation compared the financial performance of lean versus non-lean companies.
Dr. Olsen continues his professional development with a focus on creating new knowledge in operations management, biasing his research towards working with real companies and organizations. He has published, consulted, and trained in lean performance improvement, strategy deployment, and six sigma. He has run numerous improvement events at Cal Poly and in the local community.
Dr. Olsen is the Director for Central Coast Lean. CCL is a self-funded research project under the Orfalea College of Business. Its mission is to better understand how to build a community of lean practice. CCL promotes, runs, and studies improvement events, forums, workshops, and conferences. Dr. Olsen is also the creator and instructor for Cal Poly’s Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt Certification Program. Dr. Olsen is active in professional organizations with memberships in APICS – The Association for Operations Management, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), and the Lean Educators Academic Network.
Bio and Picture from: https://orfalea.calpoly.edu/about-us/directory/eric-olsen/
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.
