The Myths And Truths Of Lean Transformations

This book is a crucial resource for Lean practitioners (experienced or not) who are seeking: insight on how to gain more from their Lean efforts, how to overcome resistance to change (that is, to effectively convey 'What’s in it for me?' to their business associates), and to understand how other companies have overcome the barriers to implementing Lean and incorporated it as the common-sense approach to continuous improvement. The author shares his specific experiences with Lean transformations—some successes and some failures. His insightful perspective shows readers how the understanding of Lean progresses from theory to common sense to common practice. The Lean initiative is not merely a transformation of skills, but the development of a robust continuous-improvement culture. The book includes more than 60 case-in-point examples, across a diversified range of industries, based on the author’s hands-on experience with many multinational corporations. These case-in-point examples show transformations that have resulted in $200+ million verified annualized savings for a diversified array of industries. The author details his journey from industry Lean practitioner to a consultant in a top-tier consultancy firm to developing his own consulting practice.

The average tenure of a departing CEO has declined from approximately 10 years in 2000 to 8.1 years in 2012. Maintaining a customer-focused Lean strategy and continuous improvement culture can become a challenge when management changes often, unless it has become an institutionalized company-branded business management system for the company. Lean for the Long Term allows readers to benefit from the operating experience and research of the authors who have been deeply involved in leading Lean transformations that last in today’s ever-changing business landscape. It presents a Lean management system model that encompasses leadership, process, and growth as the model to drive business performance. The authors investigate the fragile nature of a Lean culture and the resulting effects on people and the company when the culture shifts. They illustrate the methods several companies have used to achieve successful Lean transformations that last and also offer guidance on how to build your own action plan based on the best practices outlined in the text. Until now, there have been few books to supply in-depth discussions on Lean as a strategy and management system. Filling this need, this book will help you to move toward a broader, more strategic use of Lean principles in your business. The book uses clear language to present insights on how company leaders and Lean practitioners can improve communication. After reading the book, you will better understand how your company operates, how to align your efforts, and how to decide what to do despite the complexity of day-to-day business operations.

The never-ending global search for a country with a low labour wage is almost bottoming out. The so-called labor-oriented apparel manufacturing industry is poised to change. Due to fierce global pressure on reducing price and lead time, the textiles and apparel producers will have to banish all waste from their supply chain. Lean manufacturing which removes waste and smoothens the process flow is gaining popularity among textiles and apparel producers and will be a key element for the survival of the industry in the years ahead. An overview of various lean tools with a balanced mix of conceptual knowledge and practical applications in the context of apparel manufacturing Valuable industry information which managers and engineers can follow themselves without the need to hire outside consultants Case studies and examples from apparel manufacturing demonstrating how lean tools are being used successfully by leading organizations; an academician’s delight Possible use cases of several lean tools having potential use in the apparel manufacturing scenario

‘Lean’ is a strategic organization development intervention that aims to improve the Return On Investment (ROI) of any enterprise in addition to consolidating its competitiveness. It is a transformation vehicle for revisiting customer value and re-engineer the entire organizational value stream by eliminating waste to improve the velocity of information and material flow. The author aims to demystify the myths of Lean and guides its systematic application.

Lean Human Resources addresses a critical issue facing organisations undertaking lean transformation or attempting to create a lean culture of continuous improvement. People are the single biggest factor necessary to ensure success, but it is common for the role of the HR department to be overlooked. Cheryl M. Jekiel, who has been implementing Lean initiatives out of HR offices for more than 20 years, defines the people-related approaches and practices required for success. She explains how the HR function must work hand-in-hand with senior leaders to alter the cultural dynamic that keeps employees from leveraging their peak abilities, analysing why so many companies allow this sort of waste to exist and how traditional HR departments have not been especially effective in combating waste. The book provides continuous improvement professionals, executives and business owners with the means to maximize employee potential by showing them how to increase the improvement power of their HR departments. It also helps them understand what lean transformations can achieve with the correct investment of time, funds, resources and leadership approach. It is also the perfect introduction to lean for those working in HR, explaining the role they should take to support lean implementation and help their colleagues achieve their full potential. Much has been learned since the first edition published five years ago based on the hundreds of conversations the author has had about Lean HR with people from all over the world. This new edition brings Lean Human Resources right up-to-date.

'Lean' in this title refers to operations management, the Toyota Production System, and its derivatives. The book is a companion volume to The Lean Toolbox which focused on operational tools and techniques whereas this book is focused on the essential human aspects of Lean transformation. The book is a sourcebook for practitioners and managers covering a wide range of concepts, providing sufficient information to grasp the essentials of each topic and giving leads to further reading. The Chapters include Antecedents and myths, Established Lean people practices, Eight models of people at work, Systems aspects, Psychology aspects, Engagement, Problems, Decisions, Learning, Leadership, Teams, Organisations, Ergonomics. The work of more than 150 authorities from operations, psychology, systems, and change are drawn on to give a comprehensive overview. The authors' extensive knowledge and experience complement each section. As with The Lean Toolbox, the text is concise, written for busy managers who seek both a guide and a quick reference.

Digital transformation is a business concern; it is no longer just IT that must get things done. The disruptive force of start-ups focusing on IT-based services that can be consumed through mobile devices cannot be underestimated -- These start-ups eat away at the high-margin services provided by incumbents, leaving lower margin products and services that are rapidly being commoditized. This is happening in all industry sectors and it is the ones who are best able to adjust, innovate, and improve their service offerings that will survive. The question is: What do you need to do to ensure that your organization is one of the survivors? The core of the solution to the problem is to radically improve the way the IT organization works together with the business. To be clear, the digital transformation of your business depends on that relatively small group of people in the basement, or other out-of-the-way location, who make sure that your IT services work. So, building a cooperative model is vital for the success of the business. Which model has proven its worth in many industries? It is the application of Lean principles that gives organizations an advantage in delivering their products and services to their customers. Transforming your organization to high performance is, above all, a people-based movement with the acquisition and, most importantly, application of knowledge and skills necessary for the high performance way of working at its core. In teams, from boardroom to work floor, building a new way of thinking and acting is essential. This book aims to give insight into the reasons why you and your organization must consciously act to apply Lean principles to your IT organization. It explains the phases organizations go through as they start out with their initial attempts to gain advantages from Lean tools to the phase in which they reap the strategic benefits of Lean applied to IT. The real work of the transformation is described from two different perspectives: Leadership and Team. This book describes a complete set of principles, practices and tools In order to make the right decisions along the winding route of your transformation. The people who will guide, support and drive your transformation are the leaders and tem members who understand and apply those principles, practice and tools: your Lean IT Experts.

Lean transformations is your start-to-expert guide for Lean. It describes the crucial steps to implement lean tools which directly lead to measurable productivity improvements, while minimizing investments. Part one of the book describes the Leadership skills required to make Lean work for the organization in the long term. Part two describes why Lean can help you, your team and your organization in process improvement, based on the history and learnings of other organizations in using Lean. Part three describes The Four Levels of Lean Maturity, where the crucial steps of different tools are highlighted, and more importantly: how you use the tools to reach your organizational targets. Part four is focused on Value Stream Mapping, where the 8 step approach will help you identify the most important process design improvements to improve total performance. Part five describes another set of lean tools in more detail. Lean Transformations will give you the theory and practical steps you need to create a culture of continuous improvement in your organization in which people continuously use lean tools to find the next improvement. Get your copy now to reap the real benefits of lean, starting today!