Play Audiobook Sample
Lean Thinking (Abridged): Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, 2nd Ed Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.02) - 1,025 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Expanded, updated, and more relevant than ever, this bestselling business classic by two internationally renowned management analysts describes a business system for the twenty-first century.
Expanded, updated, and more relevant than ever, this bestselling business classic by two internationally renowned management analysts describes a business system for the twenty-first century that supersedes the mass production system of Ford, the financial control system of Sloan, and the strategic system of Welch and GE. It is based on the Toyota (lean) model, which combines operational excellence with value-based strategies to produce steady growth through a wide range of economic conditions.
In contrast with the crash-and-burn performance of companies trumpeted by business gurus in the 1990s, the firms profiled in Lean Thinking -- from tiny Lantech to midsized Wiremold to niche producer Porsche to gigantic Pratt & Whitney -- have kept on keeping on, largely unnoticed, along a steady upward path through the market turbulence and crushed dreams of the early twenty-first century. Meanwhile, the leader in lean thinking -- Toyota -- has set its sights on leadership of the global motor vehicle industry in this decade.
Instead of constantly reinventing business models, lean thinkers go back to basics by asking what the customer really perceives as value. (It's often not at all what existing organizations and assets would suggest.) The next step is to line up value-creating activities for a specific product along a value stream while eliminating activities (usually the majority) that don't add value. Then the lean thinker creates a flow condition in which the design and the product advance smoothly and rapidly at the pull of the customer (rather than the push of the producer). Finally, as flow and pull are implemented, the lean thinker speeds up the cycle of improvement in pursuit of perfection. The first part of this book describes each of these concepts and makes them come alive with striking examples.
Lean Thinking clearly demonstrates that these simple ideas can breathe new life into any company in any industry in any country. But most managers need guidance on how to make the lean leap in their firm. Part II provides a step-by-step action plan, based on in-depth studies of more than fifty lean companies in a wide range of industries across the world.
Even those readers who believe they have embraced lean thinking will discover in Part III that another dramatic leap is possible by creating an extended lean enterprise for each of their product families that tightly links value-creating activities from raw materials to customer.
In Part IV, an epilogue to the original edition, the story of lean thinking is brought up-to-date with an enhanced action plan based on the experiences of a range of lean firms since the original publication of Lean Thinking.
Lean Thinking does not provide a new management "program" for the one-minute manager. Instead, it offers a new method of thinking, of being, and, above all, of doing for the serious long-term manager -- a method that is changing the world.
Download and start listening now!
"Eye-opening. This should be mandatory reading to any business student, engineer or manager. While the examples in the book are related to manufacturing, the concept of lean thinking applies to anyone and everything. If you can not draw any parallels to your line of work - try harder! "
— Olli (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“In their superb book Lean Thinking, James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones offer hard-hitting, practical principles on banishing waste and improving productivity in organizations...In the study of lean, few other publications, if any, can equal it.”
— Dr. Richard I. Lester, Dean of Academic Affairs, Eaker College for Professional Development, Air University -
“An expanded version of a well-known guide...Womack and Jones offer a sweeping view of value from the customer’s perspective...[Lean Thinking] ought to be required listening for the new entrepreneur, especially if disciplined and conservative thinking is not a personal strength.”
— AudioFile
Lean Thinking Listener Reviews
-
—
Denise Vestin, 5/26/2023
-
" Really not a bad book from a college perspective. The content is good but overwhelming in the last 25%. "
— JT, 12/28/2013 -
" Reduce waste. Great book if you think there is a lot of waste in business. Goes over some good concepts about where waste sneaks in and can get integrated into daily business. "
— Kevin, 12/27/2013 -
" Great book on learning about the origins and concepts of implementing lean concepts in your business. Very engaging. Uses six major case studies from Toyota, Porsche, and some lesser known companies. "
— Nephi, 11/1/2013 -
" Good for work, but definitely not a "read for fun" book. "
— Tiff, 5/11/2013 -
" Excellent follow up to The Machine that Change the World. "
— Paul, 4/12/2013 -
" Womack and Jones refresh the basic lean concepts in the beginning of the book, which is the part I will refer to in the future. The remainder of the book expands on these concepts by illustrating them in myriad situation examples thus providing support for the ideas themselves. "
— TQM, 3/12/2013 -
" Good case studies about implementing QFD. "
— Krishna, 7/26/2012 -
" Very good starter on the subject. Good examples and stories of real implementations. "
— Johan, 6/29/2012 -
" a little dry, but teaches the basics "
— Dave, 5/4/2012 -
" I wanted more actionable recommendations. Feels a bit dated and very targeted to large shops. The big picture ideas were helpful, but like so many business books I probably could have gotten the point by reading the wikipedia page. "
— Tyson, 4/12/2012 -
" The early bible, but I think doesn't focus on culture as should...focus on tools. "
— Bob, 2/29/2012 -
" Eye-opening. This should be mandatory reading to any business student, engineer or manager. While the examples in the book are related to manufacturing, the concept of lean thinking applies to anyone and everything. If you can not draw any parallels to your line of work - try harder! "
— Olli, 1/22/2012 -
" Excellent book. Practical ideas for all different sizes and types of businesses. The author emphasizes applications of these lean organization principles across the globe. "
— Matthew, 12/26/2011 -
" I am still in the process of reading this book, but so far, I am learning a lot of valuable information that I can put into practice at my store. "
— Kaylen, 12/21/2011 -
" I am really getting into Lean Office/Manufacturing in my new job and love it!! "
— Schmeather, 4/8/2011 -
" Good for work. Fun? Not really. "
— Austin, 4/4/2011 -
" A very thorough overview of lean processes and the background of it. It drove me to being an ambassador in lean thinking, in supply chain, as well as in marketing. "
— Christof, 1/31/2011 -
" Excellent book. Practical ideas for all different sizes and types of businesses. The author emphasizes applications of these lean organization principles across the globe. "
— Matthew, 12/15/2010 -
" Mandatory reading from the boss. But not bad. <br/>'Course, pretty much all his examples involve bringing in a major Japanese guru, or someone who already went through a lean transition elsewhere with a major Japanese guru. Not a uniformly available option. "
— Heather, 11/6/2010 -
" Excellent follow up to The Machine that Change the World. "
— Paul, 10/28/2009 -
" Reduce waste. Great book if you think there is a lot of waste in business. Goes over some good concepts about where waste sneaks in and can get integrated into daily business. "
— Kevin, 3/23/2009 -
" I am really getting into Lean Office/Manufacturing in my new job and love it!! "
— Schmeather, 1/26/2009 -
" a little dry, but teaches the basics "
— Dave, 1/23/2009 -
" Good for work, but definitely not a "read for fun" book. "
— Tiff, 12/7/2008 -
" Womack and Jones refresh the basic lean concepts in the beginning of the book, which is the part I will refer to in the future. The remainder of the book expands on these concepts by illustrating them in myriad situation examples thus providing support for the ideas themselves. "
— TQM, 8/4/2008 -
" Great book on learning about the origins and concepts of implementing lean concepts in your business. Very engaging. Uses six major case studies from Toyota, Porsche, and some lesser known companies. "
— Nephi, 4/5/2008 -
" I am still in the process of reading this book, but so far, I am learning a lot of valuable information that I can put into practice at my store. "
— Kaylen, 3/30/2008
About the Authors
James P. Womack is the president and founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization based in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Daniel T. Jones, founder and chairman of the Lean Enterprise Academy in the UK, is a senior advisor to the Lean Enterprise Institute, management thought leader, and mentor. He is the coauthor of The Machine that Changed the World and Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Organization. Jones advises organizations in different sectors on their lean transformations and mentors a dozen hospitals in the UK, Italy, and the US. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Sussex.