| The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road |  | Authors: Jamie Flinchbaugh, Andy Carlino
Creator: Dennis Pawley
Publisher: Society of Manufacturing Engineers
This item is no longer available
Rating:  45 reviews
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: First
ASIN: B001EYUGL4
Publication Date: January 2, 2006
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Hitchhikers do not travel a fixed path. They intentionally wander so they can learn and grow along the way. Embarking on the lean journey is similar, there are many roads on which to wander and no single one is right for all. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road" reveals the most critical lessons learned over the authors' combined 30-plus years of exploring the lean highways.
One of the book's lessons from the road is you need to pay attention to where you are and where you are going, just as you do when driving a car. Lean leaders add value by changing things, moving them forward, and producing different results than the day before. To lead, you must go beyond creating a vision. You must develop the vehicle that will deliver it. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean" is the vehicle that will help you move beyond the tools and take lean to a self-sustaining and continuously improving level.
The book's 10 chapters cover lean principles and thinking, lean leadership moves, the roadmap for lean transformation, common pitfalls of lean journeys, building an operating system, lean accounting, lean material management, lean in service organizations, and how individuals can apply lean to improve themselves. The book concludes with interviews of lean practitioners on the front lines of change at Chrysler, Ross Controls, DTE Energy, RSR Corporation, and Nemak.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
Lean Leadership Produces Results Through Principles April 11, 2010
Thomas J. Kapostasy (Carmel, IN United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Hitchhikers Guide to Lean is a valuable resource for knowledgeable, experienced project managers and executives who are seeking advice on how to improve their odds of success in creating a lean culture.
The authors provide an insightful list of pitfalls to avoid, a solid and usable 5 stage model for implementation, an in-depth description of the operating system which holds the components together, a contrast between manufacturing and service applications and advice on how to apply lean principles on a personal level. They apply lean principles to the activities of accounting and materials management departments with less success.
In spite of the process focus of most lean thinking, the authors strongly argue that lean leadership is solely about creating results, through teaching that changes thinking and habitual behavior. In our bottom-line driven business culture, this is a critical baseline for starting, growing and continuing lean activities.
The authors squarely address change management issues with a simple model. Leaders must clearly define the end objectives/create the vision of adding perceived customer value. They must help all to see the real current situation and hate its waste! By creating a tension between the current and desired states, leaders can motivate staff to leave their comfort zone, avoid fear and overcome their resistance to change.
Lean is an organic, holistic system, process, philosophy, journey and way of thinking. It is not an end. Lean contains a system, tools, measures and thinking, but no one component is adequate or more important than the others. The combination of the integral components creates consistency which drives results.
The authors clearly describe 5 principles that are foundations for lean thinking. Everything is a process and deep understanding of process matters. An operations perspective focused on eliminating the 7 varieties of waste and delivering customer valued results is essential. Standardized processes are required for progress. Problems should be welcomed as opportunities to reduce waste and add value by applying systematic problem solving processes. Organizational learning requires processes with feedback loops and delivers cumulative knowledge and continuous process improvement.
The authors' final analysis is consistent with their lean principles. Ongoing lean success depends upon deep understanding of the lean process, integration and application of all components and a clear understanding that nothing less than organizational transformation and cultural alignment is required.
One of the Best April 7, 2010
J. Bushling
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have used "The Hitchiker's Guide" as a training tool for Lean Champions. The examples and information are based on 'real' examples that open up understanding of the Lean transformation and cultural change. If you don't have a Lean library, this would be a great start or addition.
Solid and Comprehensive March 9, 2010
Evan Durant (Portland, OR United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a lean leader in my organization and a Six Sigma Black Belt, here are my impressions:
Oh No, Not Another Book About Lean!
Admittedly this was my first thought. But I've long admired Mr. Flinchbaugh's blog and his seemingly honest, straightforward, and technically sound approach to lean; so I figured I'd give it a try. The first section is a basic lean overview, but it does offer an interesting distillation of lean into a few basic principles. Even several years into a lean journey of my own, I found it to be a good perspective on the journey and its key guideposts. I found it especially helpful to be reminded of the importance of "high agreement".
Advice for Lean Leaders
The book also touches on one of the most important topics of lean transformation, leadership. Although I do not have nearly the depth or breath of experience in leading lean that Mr. Flinchbaugh has, my experiences align almost perfectly with the book's principles. I think this is a great synopsis of effective leadership, and I think that everyone in a lean leadership position should hear this message.
Charting Your Course
I've personally seen the enormous galvanizing power of both a roadmap and, as the book puts it, an operating system. These are crucial tools in getting going effectively, and I think chapters 4 and 5 do a good job of not letting us forget that.
Number Crunching
Chapter 6 reminds us that cost accounting can be a real impediment to lean transformation. I like that the subject is broached and that we can have the conversation. And I hope we see more progress in the area of lean accounting in the near future.
Material Movement
I like that this chapter doesn't focus solely on kanban; but rather it talks about more fundamental keys to making material flow, like eliminating waste and making things visible. I was pleasantly surprised by this approach and learned a lot.
You Want Fries With That?
I was especially interested in the chapter on service, since I've been spending more and more time trying to improve transactional processes. This was the first time I've seen a clear and concise breakdown of the elements necessary to effectively manage a lean transformation in a non-manufacturing environment. I found it very helpful.
Look in the Mirror
I get laughed at all the time for trying to find innovative ways to use lean in my personal life. So the chapter on "Personal Lean" hit very close to my heart. There's great stuff in there, including some very helpful tools. I like that someone else recognizes the tremendous value in walking the walk. I think this goes hand-in-hand with good leadership.
Case Studies
I always enjoy these, and there are some great ones at the end of the book.
Summary
I think Mr. Flinchbaugh has written a solid and comprehensive book on lean, and I would recommend it to anyone who is contemplating or who has set out on a lean journey of their own. No one can truly show the way, but in the pages of this book you'll find the knowledge necessary to plot your own course.
How The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean Adds Value January 24, 2010
Liz Guthridge (San Francisco Bay Area)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Since writing a review of this book about two years ago in my eNewsletter, The LEAN COMMUNICATOR, I find that I continue to go back to it. It's one of the best books on showing how lean needs to be a way of thinking, which is very helpful for lean leaders.
As a communication professional, I also find the book invaluable in reinforcing the importance of talking about the "how." Authors Jamie Flinchbaugh and Andy Carlino write about how managers are more comfortable communicating the "what." Managers often tend to ignore the "how"--or at least they don't drive for full agreement. (The "what" includes the goals, objectives, tasks and the metrics used to measure success.)
To prove their point, the authors compare work departments to the road system in which millions of people drive at high speeds in heavy pieces of equipment over varying road conditions in all types of weather. "In reality 100 million drivers never sat in a 12-hour planning meeting together, nor do they report to the same boss; but they are able to navigate the nation's highways with less chaos than most 50-person departments," they write. Chaos is non-existent because drivers agree on the "hows." This includes driving on the same side of the road, stopping on red and not crossing double-yellow lines.
Thanks to this book, I emphasize the "how" much more in my communications work and I achieve better results.
The Real Road to Lean December 22, 2009
Rick Foreman
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The author's do an exceptional job of communicating the reality that "lean" is beyond a simplistic set of tools that are usually unleashed upon an organization. They bring it home in stating, "Lean is not born from what you see, but from how you think." From this view point they begin explaining the principle side of "lean" that drives change. Each of the 10 chapters are structured with five key concepts that moves organizational leadership towards continuous improvement. Another great test of the author's understanding is seen in their comment that one must not "confuse activity and productivity." As a full time lean implementation manager with 20 years of hands on experience, I can say this is one of the few books that really connects the principle side of lean. I've used this in numerous book clubs, resulting in positive feedback from office and administrative team members who have their eyes opened to what "lean" really means to them and their functions. The book is a great read, with excellence flow and applicable methodology. The material in the book will help any organization realize the change in thought processes required to sustain a lean journey beyond another flavor of the month project. I would greatly recommend this to those who are beginning the journey of lean and continuous improvement.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
Powered by Bytewise
| |
