In the GLI’s Operations Management module guided by Tim Kraft (NC State Poole College of Management), 2023 Cohort Members explore, adapt, and apply LEAN manufacturing methodology to an Arts context.
LEAN manufacturing first arose in the 1980s as a tool to simplify processes and minimize waste in the Japanese automobile industry. Founder Haruo Shimada observed a pattern of companies overproducing, leading to surplus inventory, which ultimately added unnecessarily to the cost of production — hurting both consumers and organizations.
In response, Shimada developed LEAN methodology to streamline and improve processes by increasing sensitivity to excess at each production stage through creative decision-making. The results of LEAN empowered Japan to become a global leader in the 1990s automotive industry.
Everyday life and work in diverse settings can benefit from streamlining through LEAN principles.
Today LEAN methodology is commonplace in industries ranging from software design in Silicon valley to aerospace manufacturing by NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and others.
For arts leaders, LEAN methodology can mean streamlining processes that create value for audiences and communities to focus on their essential features and remove unnecessary excess via collective feedback, reflection, and refinement.▣
