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10/05/2011 12:39 PM
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I am trying to find how the "body of knowledge" of the lean community has evolved over the years with regards to managing a lean company.
Do we have a definition for what is lean management and why do we need it?
here are some of my thoughts:
What is Lean Management?
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10/06/2011 12:42 PM
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Vivek,
Review the work the Dr. Mario (Bob) Emilliani at Central Connecticut State University is publishing. He's done some great work that you might find enlightening.
Bill Curran
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10/06/2011 12:42 PM
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Vivek:
Once a company has defined what "Lean" means to them, since there are so many different definitions, they then ususlly prepare some goals and objectives that must be met to become Lean by their definition. Management's, or Lean Management's responsibility is then to meet those goals and objectives. For example, a company (www.beyondlean.com) developed this description of a Lean Company.
1. Lean is completely about CULTURE, or the "Thinking Way".
2. Lean is not a part of what we do, it is in everything that we do, it is our way of thinking.
-3. t is an embedded culture of understanding the customer's needs, continually striving to reduce waste and optimising the performance of process, people and infrastructure.
4. At al levels there is a strong desire to be better.
5. A culture of Lean is visibly prioritized and practised from the top to the bottom of the workforce.
6. The key is understanding the customer and delivering his requirements.
Lean management should then work to make it all happen.
As far as why do we need it, items 3 and 6 explains why.
Sam Tomas
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10/11/2011 03:04 PM
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Before we talk about Lean Management we have to ask; what is management? Lean Management is largely an oxymoron, or at best a topic for little discussion or thought.
One problem in the business world is that the word "management" and "leadership" are often used interchangeably but they are so dramatically different topics that I hesitate to use them in the same sentence.
Management is maintaining status quo and leadership is about challanging status quo. You manage things, like budgets and machines, but you have to lead people. If management is maintaining the status quo (my definition), then Lean Management is maintaining those systems that support Lean but Lean is mostly about people and not settling for "good enough" but instead striving for continuous improvement.
We should be talking about Lean Leadership because what is in Lean that does not involve people and continuous improvement?
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10/14/2011 10:16 AM
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Robert,
Your thoughts are almost on track. I suggest that Management and leadership are both required and are two separate but often mingled processes. Don't let your attitudes about American management prevent you from improving these processes.
Management is required to deal with the complexity of large organizations. Leadership is required to guide people through positive change. John Kotter has written some very good articles and books on this subject.
I have included a document that explores the idea and the processes.
GerryD
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10/17/2011 09:23 AM
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For me, lean management can be quickly described in two books:
Getting the Right Things Done by Pascal Dennis
Creating a Lean Culture by David Mann
You can read a hundred books on the principles and the philosophy behind Lean Management. All of them will help you personally to understand lean better. These two books explain the nuts and bolts of what it takes to manage a lean company effectively. Lean management in two steps (one for each book):
Step 1) Deploy an effective and clear strategy where everyone understands what wining is. (Getting the Right Things Done)
Step 2) Create systems of continuous improvement that are directed toward winning. (Creating a Lean Culture)
There is actually an underlying assumption to both of these steps that both books will talk around/about.
Step 0) Eliminate the silo's of expertise and align the organization to the flow of product to the customer.
Calling these steps might be wrong. All three need to be going on simultaneously...
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