New book explores the core of the Lean Business methodology

In The Essence of Lean, David Hinds explores the very core of the Lean method. Defining Lean, he explores his methods and shows how it can be applied in any organization to eliminate unnecessary procedures and provide the greatest benefit to employees and customers. The book is especially intended for leaders who are unfamiliar with Lean but want to find new ways to improve their organizations and help them grow. That being said, people who are already familiar with Lean will also find a lot of useful information on these pages.

The book’s foreword is written by Keith and Andrew Koenig, President and Vice President of City Furniture. They testify to how they improved their business by applying Lean principles. In writing this book, Hinds did extensive fieldwork with them and with other organizations that have implemented Lean.

At the beginning of the book, some definitions of Lean are provided, although there is no truly standard one. In the foreword, Keith Koenig describes Lean as “the best management system in the world.” Hinds’ own simplified definition is: “Lean is a vision of how to do work and how to treat people.” Both definitions are very precise.

Hinds himself is clearly committed to lean and believes in its benefits. His experience includes owning a wholesale distribution business where he adopted a Total Quality Management program, which incorporated Lean management principles. Years later, after selling the company and retiring from a thirty-year career in industry and government, Hinds earned a Ph.D. and pursued an academic career. He saw his new career as the perfect opportunity to continue looking for a better way for companies to operate, which eventually led him to investigate Lean and adopt it as the best method to improve workflow and work culture. He was surprised to find that Lean was known in manufacturing but not applied to other organizations or industries. Consequently, he developed the model that he shares in this book to show how Lean can be applied to any company or organization to increase benefits for all stakeholders involved. In the process of creating that model, he states, “My frame of reference was to explore whether Lean was really a better way for any type of organization. I reviewed the different descriptions and organization-specific issues reported in the Lean literature to identify the true heart of Lean: the essential elements that are most important in driving performance. In some aspects, I wanted to know the lowest common denominator of Lean.”

Hinds goes on to describe the unique systems model he created that presents the essential elements of Lean from a general management perspective. He bases the model on general principles of management, operations, and human behavior, which reveal important insights into how and why Lean works so well. The name “Lean” refers to the need to reach the core processes and activities of an organization. The goal is to eliminate anything unnecessary or wasteful, which is defined as anything, such as reports or procedures, that ultimately does not benefit stakeholders, which include the customer but also employees.

Hinds also defines what Lean is not. He compares it to programs like Six Sigma to show how it’s different. He also states that Lean is not “lean and mean”. Although it is a process for reducing waste, that is not the same as reducing or eliminating people’s jobs. It’s not necessarily about cutting costs, although cost reduction can result from eliminating what’s unnecessary, but it’s mostly about making work processes flow more smoothly and efficiently and the benefits that will flow from that. progress for all involved.

Consequently, Lean is a system that seeks employee participation and feedback. It is bottom-up management where employees and their ideas are listened to and implemented to make the workflow smoother and more productive.

Once Hinds clarifies these points, he talks about the tools and techniques used by Lean to reduce waste. However, he also makes it clear that Lean is not all method, but rather combines method with culture. He affirms:

“The method provides tools and techniques for continually learning how to produce better value for your customers and for your organization. Culture is essentially a way of treating employees with trust and respect that makes them want to be part of the system. What’s up? What’s more exciting is recognizing how method and culture, when working together in harmony, can produce outstanding organizational performance while also leading to a fulfilling and sometimes even joyful workplace!”

Hinds walks the reader through how to create that fulfilling workplace by dividing the book into four sections, each with multiple chapters. The first part provides an overview of the Lean system model and how to apply it to your organization. The second part provides a detailed look at the Lean method and its waste and flow principles, which support continuous learning: Lean operates on the principle that there are always improvements to be made, so the application of Lean is never complete or perfect. , but just continue. . The third part describes how to create a Lean culture based on the principles of bottom-up management and trust and respect among all members of the organization. Part Four explores how to apply Lean to a 3-5 day event and how to continue your Lean journey. In addition, there is an extensive bibliography of books on or related to Lean and a helpful index.

Before reading this book, I was familiar with the Lean method and had even been through a week-long Lean event many years ago, so I understood its focus on reducing waste, but I was unaware of the many other benefits that provides in terms of his philosophy that “you should only do things that interest your customer.” He also appreciated that “Lean is about making changes with employees and not about making changes to employees.” So it’s really about building a culture that benefits everyone.

Any reader who is looking for a better method of achieving goals and creating a positive work environment will find beneficial answers in this book. I encourage you to experience Lean for yourself and enjoy the results.