No Time To Waste

by LeanTeams

On Purpose: Aligning Lean with company strategy

Lean thrives when it is not seen as a side project but as the way the organisation delivers its strategy.

Too often, improvement work gets stuck at the operational level, disconnected from leadership goals.

The key is to use Lean as the bridge: linking purpose (the “why”), with process (the “how”), and people (the “who”).

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.

Japanese proverb, often quoted in Lean strategy contexts Tweet

Try this:

Choose one current strategic objective and map it to the daily work of your team. Ask: “How does today’s improvement activity contribute to this goal?” If the link isn’t clear, work with the team to identify one practical step that brings their efforts closer to the organisation’s strategy.

On Process: The difference between value-added and non-value-added work

Value-added work is defined by the customer.

If you are unsure whether a task adds value, ask whether a client would willingly pay for it to be done.

Non-value-added work is everything else: delays, rework, excess reporting, approvals, or handovers that add time and cost without improving the customer or client outcome.

Constantly ask: “Would the customer pay for this step?”

That sharpens focus, helps teams cut clutter, and ensures effort goes into what truly delivers value.

Customers pay only for value added work… all other activities are waste.

James P. Womack & Daniel T. Jones, Lean Thinking (1996) Tweet

On People: Developing a learning organisation

A learning organisation is one where people continuously build knowledge, share insights, and adapt faster than the challenges they face.

Instead of seeing mistakes as failures, they are treated as opportunities to learn.

Leaders create the conditions by encouraging curiosity, reflection, and collaboration across teams.

This means asking good questions, sharing lessons from improvement work, and making learning visible so it spreads quickly.

When learning is part of the culture, organisations become more agile, resilient, and better at delivering long-term value for customers.

An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.

Jack Welch, quoted in BusinessWeek (June 1999) Tweet

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