New World Primate Workshop on "Lean Thinking" in Animal Husbandry
The 8 Wastes of Lean Management: "The pebbles in your shoe"
Staff from prestigious Zoos across the US assembled at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo to learn how Lean thinking and methodology can streamline their work in order to provide better care for the animals under our guardianship.
Zoo New England COO Bob Chabot opened the session with a big Boston welcome and hosts Anne Knapp and Andrea Lewicki provided some history on their Lean journey and on the successes of the Zoo New England staff.
Jennifer Camacho, Enrichment Program Manager and Gerry Cronin, KPO provided their perspectives on how Lean Management has enhanced animal care at MGH. Jen and Gerry took the students through a dangerous life-saving simulation that demonstrated how teams can make tiny improvements that can have massive impacts to worker's and animal's well being.
Facilitators of the life-saving simulation included Michelle Farmerie, from the Pittsburgh Zoo, Andrea Lewicki, from ZNE, Anne Knapp from ZNE, Jennifer Camacho, from MGH and Gerry Cronin from MGH.
Students had a blast learning about how they can use the power of teams to remove the daily "pebbles in their shoe" and improve their daily work.
Some tools and resources have been made available for conference attendees below.