2014 pearls of wisdom from the UK / USA “Senseis” of Lean thinking : Jim Womack and Daniel Jones

“The political discourse is all about external issues to actual people creating value. It’s all outside the box. What’s inside the box, how people actually work to create value (which should be transparent, open, and understood by everyone), is for most managers still a black box. We need to light up that box.” –Jim Womack

“As we’ve entered into a world of stagnation… people are beginning to realize that simply outsourcing or doing other easy tricks isn’t going to [help]. I think we’re beginning to see a second wave of interest in Lean in quite unexpected quarters where the realization is clear that we’re going to have to do the same or more with less resource… Healthcare, but also renewing our infrastructure and transport systems and water systems… It’s the whole business model of how people cooperate with each other.”
–Dan Jones 

“Most companies when they start are lean… The issue starting up is [rapid testing] and winnowing out false paths until you find the true path… Once you get started, you have a different question, which is how to avoid becoming the kind of sclerotic, mass production kind of organization, which happens naturally.” –Jim Womack 

“Two things are changing… Customers are more demanding and can [clearly see] what the situation is and what the competition is… and also there’s a new generation of employees who aren’t going to be willing to work in the same command and control infrastructure, but want to do meaningful work.”
–Dan Jones 

“The fundamental differential of Lean is that it’s about not just solving today’s problems, but learning deeper skills to stabilize and improve the work tomorrow and solving tomorrow’s problems. Learning is at the core of the organizational design of the future.”
–Dan Jones