Living Lean: Jackson and Wyatt Learn to Share

Abstract

This case is part of the "Living Lean" series, which presents accessible, everyday scenarios for a Lean process-improvement journey. In this episode on process analysis, a working mom helps her two boys devise a process for resolving disputes. Excerpt UVA-OM-1464 Rev. Nov. 26, 2013 Living Lean: JACKSON AND WYATT LEARN TO sharE Rebecca, a 2003 graduate of the MBA program at the Darden School of Business, had two boys: Jackson, who was eight years old, and Wyatt, who was six years old. The two brothers were kids with tons of enthusiasm. They worked hard in school and played equally hard at home. After returning from after-school care in the evenings, they practiced various martial arts skills together for hours. Often, the boys both wanted to do the same thing at the same time, whether it was resting in the hammock, playing with a basketball, or drawing with a particular green marker. After a few shouts of “Mine!” and “No, I want it!” one boy would escalate the altercation by practicing a martial arts skill a little too hard. As a result, Rebecca frequently found herself settling disputes that she felt they ought to resolve independently. Illustrations by Michael Twery. . . .