Bob Emiliani

Leadership for the Digital Age

leadership

Great Expectations

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Our most ardent promoters of Lean have great expectations that business leaders will magically see the need to care for people -- employees, customers, suppliers, and communities. That they will develop employees through the coaching and improvement katas rather than treating them as disposable … [Read more...] about Great Expectations

Misusing the “Respect for People” Principle

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Since the grand awakening of the Lean community to the "Respect for People" principle in 2007, and especially post-2014, it has been interesting to see how it has been both used and misused. When used correctly, in its proper context -- the management of business enterprise, in the workplace -- … [Read more...] about Misusing the “Respect for People” Principle

Lean and Learning

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University Boards of Trustees are populated mostly by business leaders, followed by former politicians and other community leaders. As such, Boards tend to reflect business needs and interests. Only rarely are experienced classroom teachers and researchers (i.e., academics) found on Boards of … [Read more...] about Lean and Learning

Mass Producing Happiness

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Most people are not familiar with the history of progressive management because they do not see how it is relevant to today's problems or needs. But I can assure you this history is relevant to humanity today and beyond. Beginning in the late 1800s with what later became known as Scientific … [Read more...] about Mass Producing Happiness

Lean — Survival or Decline

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When we think of Lean management, we probably do not think of it in evolutionary terms. But we should for two reasons. First, evolution takes a prominent place in the thinking of Toyota production system and Toyota's overall management system -- the need to evolve in response to the reality of … [Read more...] about Lean — Survival or Decline

Move Over Lean!

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COVID-19 is having a remarkable impact on business -- not in terms of shutting businesses down, but what business leaders are doing to adapt and survive. A principal strategy is to shift to various forms of e-commerce to deliver the goods and services that people need. The "process improvement … [Read more...] about Move Over Lean!

Wonder No More

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Do you ever wonder about these things: Why do most Lean transformations struggle or fail? Why it is so difficult for bosses to accept Lean management? Who no servant leadership? Why does classical management maintain its grip on leaders? Why are CEOs so resistant to change? Why do people get in … [Read more...] about Wonder No More

Betting It All On Leadership Behaviors

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In a recent blog post, "Ahead Yet Still Far Behind," I lamented the continuing hope that the only solution to widespread adoption of Lean management is to change leaders' behaviors. This is the same magical thinking bet that has been placed by untold numbers of leadership researchers, educators, … [Read more...] about Betting It All On Leadership Behaviors