Customer Reviews

Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation

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To fully understand lean transformation, you must learn from a great mentor -- like George Koenigsaecker. He has written a wonderfully practical guide for leadership. There are many fine books about the fundamentals of lean and even more about leadership in general. Many organizations achieve temporary and localized lean successes. This book provides clear guidance regarding the vectoring mechanisms that must be in place for lean to succeed at the macro level. It is concise, but not cursory; clear, but not simplistic; and directive, but not condescending. This is an exceptional read for anyone earnestly committed to embracing lean to transform an organization.

David Hogg
Chair, 24th International AME Lean Conference

Here is the nugget that stands out among the many pebbles on Lean. It is for those who cannot afford false starts or risk untried abstract theory. Few alive have the extensive experience of George Koenigsaecker from Lean's early light to now. His leadership at the fabled Danaher, Jake Brake, and the HON Corporations are still studied and the the companies are still thriving today. This practical book is based on his experience. It is a book written for the practitioners by a practitioner - and written in a language practitioners understand and have needed. It's clear, straight-to-the-point and filled with experienced insight as those who employ it will know as they put it to work. What is powerful about this book is its ring of reality as he knows, and shares, what will work and what does not work. This book is timely and needed now.

I just finished the book. I think it is great. I thought the chapters on tactics, strategy and culture were particularly insightful.

This book helps you leap frog you lean transformation by presenting useful lessons learned. At the same time, the author clearly communicates that lean is a journey--not a short dash.

Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation is the roadmap to lead your organization down the road to transforming into a lean enterprise. And it is paved with deep knowledge and experience. There are only a tiny number of executives that have this level knowledge and experience and George Koenigsaecker is one of these elite few. And he has been there learning and leading since the beginning of lean in North America. His experience is from direct hands-on leadership, mentoring, and on the floor making it happen. He reveals his lessons of what worked and gives details on execution. George also discloses the pitfalls leadership must understand and how to deal with them - which is critical to any successful transformation.

Anyone leading a lean transformation in a leadership position should absolutely read and re-read this book if they have intentions of being successful and saving significant missteps and mistakes. George has blazed this trail for you and graciously shares step-by-step guidance for the range of organizational functions you will have to learn, address, mentor and change. Take advantage of it!

On the subject of lean transformation, you can trust George Koenigsaecker. Besides dedicating his career to the exploration and application of lean principles, he writes with the courage of his convictions, producing a lean study on lean leadership. His book moves briskly and offers useful nuggets in almost every paragraph. Whether you want to dive into a full-scale lean transformation or simply pick up a few sound leadership ideas, this book is a good starting point for learning about lean practices. Koenigsaecker tells leaders that they're only effective if their employees improve and grow. His insistence that executives visit worksites and witness the way waste gums up the works reads almost like a moral imperative. getAbstract recommends this book to leaders interested in developing talent and managers who want to streamline their procedures using lean methods.

I received the books quickly and in great condition. No problems with this order at all. I have not read the book yet.

This is THE go to book for an outline on how an organization should go about beginning a lean enterprise transformation. It is filled with amazing statistics on how this transformation can lead to higher productivity, greater customer satisfaction and larger profits. At the same time it emphasizes that all this will not happen overnight and that the lean process is a long, continuous process.

Short, sweet and to the point.

This book is expensive for just over 100 pages, so it has to be worth it. It is ! George Koenigsaecker has decades of experience in lean companies and, in this book, he gives us the nuggets from his experience of successful lean implementation. The chapter on lean performance measures is probably the best on the subject I've ever read, and the author follows this with invaluable lessons on making lean as success - including the need for a good lean support office; operating a successful enterprise-wide kaizen programme; and that lean is a long term (four years +) commitment. His chapter on lean culture highlights the changes that are necessary, and steps you can take; also noting that such change is not easy.

It is a short book and easy to read. It nicely fills the gap between the "lean philosophy" books of the "Toyota Way" series and others; and the "lean tools" type books. It gives practical and understandable advice in a readable and accessible manner. If you are serious about lean in your organisation then you should read this book.

Excellent book. George Koenigsaecker goes above and beyond the "simple" tools of lean manufacturing and explains how to create and sustain a lean culture. This is a very difficult challenge which few companies have achieved. George provides the framework for making this happen. This is a must read for any lean practitioner.

Fred Niemeier
Baird Capital Partners