Shingo Model
The Shingo Model provides a powerful framework designed to guide the transformation of an organization’s culture toward achieving ideal results.
For any organization to be successful long term, it must
engage in a relentless quest to improve. Organizational improvement requires executives, managers, and team members that are humble, engaged, and empowered. Sustainable results require a culture in which every person is involved in making improvements every day.
The Basis for the Shingo Model:
The Three Insights of Organizational Excellence
Excellent organizational cultures are built around humility, respect, trust, collaboration, innovation, and empowerment. While analyzing what excellent organizations had in common, the Shingo Institute gained three important insights:
1
Ideal Results Require Ideal Behaviors
The results of an organization depend on the way its people behave. To achieve ideal results, leaders must do the hard work of creating a culture where ideal behaviors are expected and evident in every team member.
2
Purpose and Systems Drive Behavior
Most systems are designed to create a specific business result without regard for the behavior that the system drives. Managers have an enormous job to realign management, improvement, and work systems to drive the ideal behavior required by all people to achieve ideal results.
3
Principles Inform Ideal Behaviors
Principles are foundational rules that govern consequences. The more deeply one understands principles, the more clearly he or she understands ideal behavior. The more clearly one understands ideal behavior, the better he or she can design systems to drive that behavior to achieve ideal results.
Culture
The foundation of an enterprise is culture, and it is at the heart of the entire Shingo Model. All the guiding principles need to be embedded in the culture. Principles inform ideal behaviors, or what becomes the behavioral goals. Cultural transformation requires a shift in behaviors and systems drive behavior. Therefore, systems need to align with the principle through the ideal behaviors they inform, shifting the culture ever closer to ideal behavior. In the end, an organization will most likely need to adjust old systems, create new systems, and eliminate systems that no longer drive desired behavior or are misaligned.
Guiding Principles
align
The Shingo Guiding Principles are the basis for building a sustainable culture of organizational excellence.
To learn more about the Shingo Model, the Shingo Guiding Principles, and the Three Insights of Organizational Excellence, download the model booklet and attend the DISCOVER EXCELLENCE workshop, the first prerequisite in the Shingo Workshop Series.
Cultural Enablers
- Respect Every Individual
- Lead with Humility
Continuous Improvement
- Assure Quality at the Source
- Improve Flow & Pull
- Seek Perfection
- Embrace Scientific Thinking
- Focus on Process
Enterprise Alignment
- Create Value for the Customer
- Create Consistency of Purpose
- Think Systemically
Systems
select
A successful enterprise is usually made up of complex systems that can be divided into layers of subsystems, each containing the necessary tools to enable the successful outcome of the system. A successful outcome is defined in both performance and behavioral terms.
drive
Tools
enable
Organizations often make the mistake of focusing too heavily on a specific set of improvement tools as the foundation of their efforts. While tools can help teams improve processes, they do not answer the question “why.” Tools address “how,” but without a clear understanding of why improvement matters, teams may become dependent on instructions rather than empowered to think and act for themselves.
When tools are used within a broader framework of guiding principles and purpose, they become far more powerful. A Shingo Licensed Affiliate can help your organization apply improvement tools in ways that reinforce principle-based leadership and build lasting capability across your teams.
achieve
Results
refine
The focus of most leadership is on what many consider to be their key responsibility: results (commonly referred to as key performance indicators or KPIs). Please do not misunderstand. An organization must have performance results to succeed. Value needs to be considered from the perspective of the customer, rather than from enterprise leadership. But lagging indicator KPIs are usually what an organization uses as measurements of behavior and, therefore, culture.
Shingo Workshop Series
Learn more about how the Shingo Model can drive your culture towards organizational excellence by attending the Shingo workshop series, which includes six workshops beginning with DISCOVER EXCELLENCE.
Shingo Book Series
In conjunction with the six Shingo workshop series, the Shingo Institute has published a series of books focused on the primary elements of the Shingo Model and its guiding principles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Shingo Model different from other frameworks such as EFQM or Baldrige?
The Shingo Model focuses on both organizational results and the culture (behavior) that achieves those results and leads to sustainable operational excellence. While frameworks like the EFQM and Baldrige evaluate organizational performance criteria, the Shingo Model explains the “why” by emphasizing guiding principles, cultural transformation, and results. This principle‑based approach helps organizations build systems that are aligned with ideal behaviors, driving consistent, repeatable, scalable results, regardless of industry or methodology. Moreover, the Shingo Model is not a stand-alone approach; rather, it strengthens any organizational excellence methodology. See Shingo vs Baldrige and Shingo vs. EFQM for deeper comparisons of the frameworks.
How does the Shingo Model relate to Lean and Six Sigma?
The Shingo Model does not replace Lean, Six Sigma, or other improvement methodologies. Instead, it strengthens an organization’s existing values, systems, tools, results, and culture by adding understanding of how guiding principles can transform culture and make results sustainable. While Lean and Six Sigma offer powerful methods for problem-solving, waste reduction, and process optimization, organizations often struggle to sustain improvements over time because the underlying culture, behaviors, and systems—across all organizational levels—haven’t been aligned to support them. The Shingo Model addresses this gap. It helps leaders understand why improvement tools succeed or fail by focusing on the principles that inform ideal behaviors. When these principles/behaviors become deeply rooted in an organization’s culture, the tools of Lean and Six Sigma become far more consistent, effective, and sustainable.
Who does the Shingo Model apply to? Is it only for manufacturing?
The Shingo Model can be leveraged by all industries and all people, not only manufacturing. Organizations in healthcare, government, finance, higher education, service industries, nonprofits, and even non-traditional workplaces can use the Shingo Model to improve their cultures and results. In addition, rather than tools, the model is based on guiding principles that are universal, timeless, and govern consequence, making it critical to leadership development.
What is the process for preparing for a Shingo Challenge?
Preparing for a Shingo Challenge begins with building a strong understanding of the Shingo Model, so attending DISCOVER EXCELLENCE and SYSTEMS DESIGN, the first two workshops in the Shingo workshop series, is the first step. In addition, you can assess your organization’s current culture, systems, and results by completing Shingo Insight, an anonymous, web-based survey.
Organizations considering a Shingo Challenge can download the Challenge Guidelines. Visit the Shingo Challenge page for more information.
How long does it take to leverage the Shingo Model or complete a Shingo Challenge?
As each organization’s improvement journey is unique, the time it takes to complete a Shingo Challenge is variable. However, to qualify for a Shingo Challenge, an organization must be able to provide evidence of at least three years of sustained transformational improvement. For organizations beginning their Shingo journey, we recommend meeting with the Shingo assessment team for guidance. Email Brittney Ogden ([email protected]) or Shaun Barker ([email protected]) to get started.
Who created the Shingo Model?
The Shingo Model and assessment guidelines, first published in January 2008, were developed by Shaun Barker, Randy Cook, Robert Miller, and Jacob Raymer during their tenure at the Shingo Institute, which is part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. In addition, Dr. Brian Atwater and Brent Allen contributed to systems thinking. Based on the teachings of Shigeo Shingo, the Shingo Model is the basis for the curriculum, assessment methodology, and other works that the Institute continues to develop.
How can I start leveraging the Shingo Model into my existing continuous improvement efforts?
Every organization is unique; the Shingo Model helps you strengthen your current approach. Start by learning the Shingo Guiding Principles and understanding how they influence behavior and results:
- Participate in Shingo events and webinars
- Attend the Shingo workshop series
- Offer Team Member Overviews
- Engage a Licensed Affiliate for support
- Read Shingo publications
I’m new to Lean or continuous improvement. Where do I start?
If you’re new to Lean, continuous improvement, or operational excellence, the Shingo Model offers a clear and accessible starting point, providing a strong foundation for beginners by focusing on guiding principles rather than jargon or tools. We recommend:
- Following our podcast and social media channels
- Connecting with a Licensed Affiliate
- Exploring Lean resources and publications
- Attending the DISCOVER EXCELLENCE workshop
- Attending Shingo conferences or webinars
Is the Shingo Model proven to be effective? Can you share examples of success?
Yes! Organizations around the world have used the Shingo Model to achieve measurable, sustainable improvements in safety, quality, cost, delivery, employee morale and engagement, customer satisfaction, and overall financial performance, with site recipients stemming from manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, government, education, and other sectors. See the full list of challenge recipients.
How can I learn more?
To learn more about the Shingo Model and start your own Shingo journey, explore the following resources:
- Your Shingo Journey page
- Webinars and podcasts
- The Shingo workshop series
- Shingo events
- Publications and case studies
Still have questions?
Reach out to Shaun Barker at [email protected] if you have further questions or would like to schedule a meeting with the Shingo staff.