Anyone who has studied the history of management practice since the late 1800s eventually comes to realize that despite all the effort to advance the practice of management, surprisingly little has come of it. Even if you have no knowledge of the history of management but have worked in … [Read more...] about Management IQ
Lean is an Intangible Asset
For the last 30 years, our eyes have told us this truth: There is a strong consensus of opinion among CEOs that if any of Lean is to be adopted, it is solely its tools. CEOs have expressed little interest in adopting Lean as a comprehensive system of management to replace Classical Management. This … [Read more...] about Lean is an Intangible Asset
Why Do CEOs Hate Operations?
Prior to around 1980, the leaders of large corporations had a strong affection for manufacturing operations -- the part of the business that makes money for the company by producing the goods that people want and pay for. Operations was widely seen as a noble part of the company that employees were … [Read more...] about Why Do CEOs Hate Operations?
Lean People Never Understood CEOs
Gaining the attention and commitment of CEOs for Lean management requires that we understand them. We think we do. In fact, we have long thought that we do. But in truth, Lean promoters, advocates, and practitioners never have. Even accomplished Lean CEOs don't understand their peer CEOs. The many … [Read more...] about Lean People Never Understood CEOs
How Leaders Sabotage Lean
Let's take the word "leader" to mean anyone in an organization who has management responsibility, beginning with supervisors and extending to CEOs. Most leaders have good intentions when it comes to doing their job, satisfying customers, and helping the organization prosper. Yet, even leaders … [Read more...] about How Leaders Sabotage Lean
The Business Philosophy Triangle
As you may know, one of my great interests over the last 20 years has been to understand problems such as these, especially as it pertains to large companies: Why are executives disinterested in Lean? Why do executives resist Lean? Why does Lean fail to take root in organizations? These … [Read more...] about The Business Philosophy Triangle
Why Aren’t You Solving Ohno’s Problem?
The Lean Enterprise Institute's Lean Transformation Framework encompasses five questions. The first question is: "What problem are we trying to solve?" For most people, it is a reasonable first question to ask. But there are two other important related questions: 1. Who … [Read more...] about Why Aren’t You Solving Ohno’s Problem?
The One Difficult Thing Hypothesis
Given what we know today about the benefits of Lean management to organizations and people, it is surprising that Lean is not widely recognized as a much better alternative to conventional management. Neither CEOs nor workers demand Lean management as a solution to their problems. As a result, there … [Read more...] about The One Difficult Thing Hypothesis