Practical Lean Leadership: A Strategic Leadership Guide For Executives is the first book to present Lean leadership in ways that are specific and actionable for executives to apply at work every day. It links Lean principles and tools directly to leadership beliefs, behaviors, and competencies in new and innovative ways that connect to workplace and marketplace realities. It goes far beyond the common understanding of leadership and the training methods used for leadership development. The workbook can be used individually or by a leadership team in self-paced group training. Senior managers will be inspired by the proven approaches to improving their understanding and practice of strategic leadership. Practical Lean Leadership has won critical acclaim from executives with years of experience practicing Lean management in the real world: "This is a 'must read' book for all senior leaders. It is very well written for the C-level team and it fills a gap on how executives should lead a Lean transformation. It truly is the best description of Lean leadership today. I highly recommend it." - Edward Miller, President, Strategy Development Services, LLC "Bob Emiliani is addressing THE most important problem facing organizations trying to make Lean work; the role of the executive leadership. This workbook provides sound methods to assist managers understand their role and put it into practice. This is workbook and it requires some work, but the workbook format is very helpful to move these methods from ideas into the daily practice of Lean leadership." - Brian Maskell, President, BMA Inc. "Practical Lean Leadership explains key aspects of enterprise leadership and thentakes it several steps further by applying Lean principles and tools to leadership itself. An effective model is created by understanding behavioral waste and by applying value stream mapping and standardized work in totally new contexts. The workbook format engages the reader and immediately connects to their reality." - Kevin Meyer, President, Superfactory Ventures, LLC

In Developing Lean Leaders at all Levels we build on the theory in the original book, The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership, and answer the questions: How can I apply this in my organization? What concrete actions can I take to begin the journey of becoming a lean leader? How can I spread this learning to all parts of the organization? What critical tools are needed to turn the theory to practice? This book adds examples from over twenty years of experience by Dr. Liker in working with companies outside of Toyota. The book treats you as a student who will be actively engaged in developing lean leader skills as you read. It acts as a tutorial for beginning the journey.

Learn to lead with lean by developing people: In a world in which innovation is the name of the game and competition gets fiercer by the day, lean management has become the go-to methodology for organizations committed to providing greater value for their customers. Sadly, the vast majority of lean transformations fail - and more often than not the reason behind this is to be found in a common misinterpretation of what lean actually is. Over the past 25 years, our understanding of lean thinking - a management philosophy inspired by Japanese carmaker Toyota - has changed beyond recognition. From a set of tools and techniques, this unique approach has come to be seen as a system for learning that, if adopted as a business strategy, has the power to transform any organization. Too many business executives still see lean thinking as a set of tools, a "program" that employees are force-fed, or a magic solution to all problems - failing to see that business transformation and leadership transformation are inextricably linked. The only way to succeed is, indeed, to lead with lean. This book will take you through the evolution of lean thinking and practice, as seen through the eyes of one of the Lean Community's leading experts - Michael Ballé. By collecting some of Michael's best papers - many of which were written with lean gurus like Dan Jones, Jeff Liker and Art Smalley - Lead with Lean will strengthen your understanding of the methodology and encourage you to take it on (if you haven't already). Michael's unique writing style has the power to inform, inspire, and challenge the reader by providing engaging practical examples that are used to convey deep reflections and lessons learned. This is clearly reflected in the stories of lean transformations contained in the book, which were observed and documented by Michael himself at the "gemba" (Japanese for "the place where the work takes place").

A refreshingly practical guide to real-world continuous improvement Lean Six Sigma for Leaders presents a no-frills approach to adopting a continuous improvement framework. Practical, down-to-earth and jargon-free, this book outlines the basic principles and key points of the Lean Six Sigma approach to help you quickly determine the best course for your company. Real-world case studies illustrate implementation at various organisations to show you what went right, what went wrong, what they learned and what they would have done differently, giving you the distilled wisdom of hundreds of implementations with which to steer your own organisation. Written from a leader's perspective, this quick and easy read presents the real information you need to make informed strategic decisions. While many organisations have implemented either Lean or Six Sigma, there is a growing interest in a combined approach; by implementing the most effective aspects of each, you end up with a more potent, adaptable system that benefits a wider range of organisations. This book shows you how it works, and how to tailor it to your organisation's needs. Understand the basic principles and key aspects of Lean Six Sigma Examine case studies of organisations that have implemented the framework Build on the lessons learned by other leaders to shape your own path Achieve continuous improvement by creating the right environment for success In theory, every organisation would like to attain continuous improvement — but what does that look like in day-to-day practice? How is it structured? What practices are in place? How can you implement this new approach with minimal disruption to daily operations? Lean Six Sigma for Leaders answers these questions and more, for a clear, actionable guide to real-world implementation.

While there are numerous Lean Certification programs, most companies have their own certification paths whereby they bestow expert status upon employees after they have participated in or led a certain number of kaizen events. Arguing that the number of kaizen events should not determine a person's expert status, The Lean Practitioner's Field Book: Proven, Practical, Profitable and Powerful Techniques for Making Lean Really Work outlines a true learning path for anyone seeking to understand essential Lean principles. The book includes a plethora of examples drawn from the personal experiences of its many well-respected and award-winning contributors. These experts break down Lean concepts to their simplest terms to make everything as clear as possible for Lean practitioners. A refresher for some at times, the text provides thought-provoking questions with examples that will stimulate learning opportunities. Introducing the Lean Practitioner concept, the book details the five distinct Lean Practitioner levels and includes quizzes and criteria for each level. It highlights the differences between the kaizen event approach and the Lean system level approach as well as the difference between station balancing and baton zone. This book takes readers on a journey that begins with an overview of Lean principles and culminates with readers developing professionally through the practice of self-reliance. Providing you with the tools to implement Lean tools in your organization, the book includes discussions and examples that demonstrate how to transition from traditional accounting methods to a Lean accounting system. The book outlines an integrated, structured approach identified by the acronym BASICS (baseline, analyze, suggest solutions, implement, check, and sustain), which is combined with a proven business strategy to help ensure a successful and sustainable transformation of your organization.

The Missing Link to Toyota-Style Success—LEAN LEADERSHIP Winner of the 2012 Shingo Research and Professional Publications Award “This great book reveals the secret ingredient to lean success: lean leadership. Not only is it a pleasure to read, but it is also deep and enlightening. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in lean: it’s both an eye opener and a game changer.” —Michael Ballé, Ph.D., coauthor of The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager “This will immediately be recognized as the most important book ever published to understand and guide ‘True North Lean’ and the goal of perpetual business excellence.” —Ross E. Robson, President and CEO, DnR Lean, LLC, and the original Director of The Shingo Prize “An excellent book that will shape leadership development for decades to come.” —Karen Martin, Principal, Karen Martin & Associates, and author of The Kaizen Event Planner About the Book: TOYOTA. The name signifies greatness—world-class cars and game-changing business thinking. One key to the Toyota Motor Company’s unprecedented success is its famous production system and its lesser-known product development program. These strategies consider the end user at every turn and have become the model for the global lean business movement. All too often, organizations adopting lean miss the most critical ingredient—lean leadership. Toyota makes enormous investments in carefully selecting and intensively developing leaders who fit its unique philosophy and culture. Thanks to the company’s lean leadership approach, explains Toyota Way author Jeffrey Liker and former Toyota executive Gary Convis, the celebrated carmaker has set into motion a drive for continuous improvement at all levels of its business. This has allowed for: Constant growth: Toyota increased profitability for 58 consecutive years—slowing down only in the face of 2008’s worldwide financial difficulties, the recall crisis, and the worst Japanese earthquake of the century. Unstoppable inventiveness: Toyota’s approach to innovative thinking and problem solving has resulted in top industry ratings and incredible customer satisfaction, while allowing the company to weather these three crises in rapid succession and to come out stronger. Strong branding and respect: Toyota’s reputation was instrumental in the company’s ability to withstand the recalls-driven media storm of 2010. But what looked to some to be a sinking ship is once again running under a full head of steam. Perhaps the Toyota culture had weakened, but lean leadership was the beacon that showed the way back. In fact, writes Liker, the company is “as good and perhaps a better model for lean leadership than it ever has been.” of innovation and growth. Yet, Industry Week reports that just 2 percent of companies using lean processes can likewise claim to have had long-term success. What the other 98 percent lack is unified leadership with a common method and philosophy. If you want to get lean, you have to take it to the leadership level. The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership shows you how.

Performance management, the primary focus of a Lean organization, occurs through continuous improvement programs that focus on education, belief systems development, and effective change management. Presenting a first-of-its-kind approach, The Lean Management Systems Handbook details the critical components required for sustainable Lean management.

The long-term viability of Lean as an alternative management system depends on the ability of its practitioners to recognize the differences, both great and small, between it and conventional management practice. Foremost among the differences is the way in which Lean management must be led. For some three decades, the great majority of leaders have led Lean in ways that resulted in good outcomes for the company and its shareholders, but bad outcomes for employees, suppliers, and other key stakeholders. If it's mean, it's not Lean. The intent of Lean management is to instead create outcomes that are good for everyone: employees, suppliers, customers, investors, and communities. This book will help leaders close the gap between actual outcomes and required outcomes. It presents 68 practical lessons to improve their understanding and practice of Lean management and achieve outcomes that benefit all stakeholders.

Companies from startups to corporate giants face massive amounts of disruption today. Now more than ever, organizations need nimble and responsive leaders who know how to exploit the opportunities that change brings. In this insightful book, Jean Dahl, a senior executive and expert in the Lean mindset and its methods, demonstrates why you need to embrace Modern Lean principles and thinking to redefine leadership in this age of digital disruption in order to continuously evolve the Lean enterprise. Drawing on nearly three decades of corporate and consulting experience, Ms. Dahl lays out a new holistic framework for developing Modern Lean leaders. Through personal experiences and compellingreal-world case studies, she explains specific steps necessary for you and your company to proactively understand and respond to change. Understand the leadership challenges Lean leaders face in our 21st century global economy Explore the six dimensions of the Modern Lean Framework™ Learn and apply the nine steps necessary to become a Lean leader Use Modern Lean methods to build a culture of continuous learning that can be sustained and maintained within your organization Seize competitive advantage by embracing Modern Lean to tbuild an enterprise that understands how to respond to disruption

"Lead With Respect is a terrific book that puts the elements of genuine motivation into a broader context and helps leaders translate those principles into action." —Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell Is Human and Drive "The Ballé books are a great way to get started or to speed up your pace of transformation, personal and organizational." —Jim Womack, Founder of Lean Enterprise Institute In their new business novel Lead With Respect, authors Michael and Freddy Ballé reveal the true power of lean: developing people through a rigorous application of proven tools and methods. And, in the process, creating the only sustainable source of competitive advantage—a culture of continuous improvement. In this engaging and insightful story, CEO Jane Delaney of Southcape Software discovers from her sensei Andy Ward that learning to lead with respect enables her to help people improve every day. “For us, lean is all about challenging yourself and each other to find the right problems, and working hard every day to engage people in solving them,” he says. Lead With Respect’s timely message brings a new understanding of lean. While lean has become essential for companies to compete in today’s global economy, most practitioners see it as a rigorous focus on process to produce higher quality goods and services—a limited understanding that fails to realize the true power of this approach. This new novel by the Ballés, the third in a series that includes Shingo Research Award-winners The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager, breaks new ground by sharing huge amounts of practical information on the most important yet least understood aspect of lean management: how to develop people through a rigorous application of lean tools. You’ll learn: How to apply Lead With Respect attitudes to the lean tools you are using now so that you develop a truly sustainable lean culture.What specific steps to follow to make lean leadership behaviors daily habits.How to manage with respect through the emotion, conflict, tension, and self-doubt that you’ll face during a lean transformation.