Reframing the Discussion on Good Business Management

For years, manufacturing advisors have been preaching “lean” to executives in the industry. In a recent article for IndustryWeek, Dan Markovitz—who is himself an advocate of lean policies—discusses why reframing the discussion away from the terminology of lean practitioners could be helpful.

Markovitz advocates that manufacturers and industry advisors simply call lean practices what they are: good management. He uses the case of Larry Culp, who took the helm of General Electric in 2018. Culp’s strategies include the following:

• Employ strategic planning—the Hoshin Kanri method—by communicating the company’s strategic goals to team members at all levels and encouraging them to examine how they can drive progress within their individual role.
• Focus on good management as the end goal and earnings per share as a result of that.
• Be present in the areas where the daily operations of business occur, rather than holing up in the office all day.

The author points out that while these policies are advocated by lean consultants, in this context, they don’t use the lean language. He suggests that downplaying the “jargon” of lean strategies and focusing simply on good management techniques might result in less resistance.

For more details, read the article in full at IndustryWeek.