Companies have made enormous gains with Lean, just-in-time inventory management, Six Sigma, and several quality approaches. We are producing better quality at a lower cost with less waste.
People remain important, and people remain messy.
It’s a mistake for leaders to apply “Lean” and quality methods to people. Organizations work best when human relationships are “thick” – shared experiences, deep levels of trust, abundant communication, shared purpose, deep listening. It’s a both-and reality for high-performing organizations: Manage things, Lead people.
