Didier Rabino

Didier Rabino has spent more than 30 years guiding organizations on both sides of the Atlantic, from factory floors in Europe to major U.S. health systems, toward cultures where every person solves problems aligned with purpose.

His career is rooted in Lean, leadership, and respect, with deep experience in both healthcare and manufacturing

• Healthcare: As Vice President & Executive Lean Sensei at HealthEast and Fairview Health Services (Twin Cities, Minn.), Didier coached the CEO, and senior leadership while introducing strategy deployment, A3 thinking, and a daily engagement system that sparked more than 160,000 staff improvement ideas. Tangible results included:
  • Patient-experience rising from the 73rd to the 99th percentile
  • 57% reduction in call-light frequency
  • 75% faster home-care admission cycle times
  • Zero material shortages in clinics
• Manufacturing: Earlier, he led the Lean Promotion Office to design the Andersen Management System and was plant manager. At Steelcase, where he worked in England, France, and Michigan he helped design the Steelcase Production System.
• Recognition & Service: Didier is a Shingo examiner and certified facilitator and is on the Catalysis faculty. He is the 27th recipient of the IIE Honorary Member Award, joining past honorees such as W. Edwards Deming and Lee Iacocca, and was named one of the Top 50 Thought Leaders in Operational Excellence by PEX Network in 2023.

Since 2019, Didier has served as Vice President of Advisory Services at Value Capture, partnering with executives, clinicians, and front-line teams to design and implement Lean operating systems that unlock leadership potential and hard-wire daily problem-solving.

“The most meaningful moment is that lightbulb look in a leader’s eyes, when humility meets possibility and they realize they can create a system where everyone thrives.”

A defining example was coaching the WellSpan Health executive team at WellSpan Health during the COVID-19 pandemic to co-create the WellSpan Management System. Each senior leader owned a core element, supported by disciplined coaching cycles, ultimately reducing the monthly average adverse patient safety events by 40% and earning the AHA Quest for Quality Prize.

Didier is grounded in the same values that define Value Capture’s mission: perfect care and safety for every patient, every time. He believes that sustainable change stems not from quick fixes, but from principled leadership, respect for people, and a disciplined approach to improvement.

Didier’s guiding principles and advice include:

• Start with purpose. Make explicit the promises you owe patients, families, and communities.
• Go to Gemba. See the work, feel the gaps, and test improvements as hypotheses.
• Transformation is a discipline, not a project. Engage every mind, every day.

“No process is ever perfect, but every process can improve when we respect people and develop their capability to solve problems.”