Lean management or agile? The right answer may be both
Has there even been a time when customers were more demanding of the companies serving them? Industry 4.0 technologies—many barely imaginable only a decade ago—have already enabled genuine breakthroughs in cost, convenience, and customization, creating extraordinary value for buyers while raising the performance bar for producers ever higher.
And then there’s the volatility that never entirely disappears, flaring up in crises that can upend everything from supplier relationships to entire business models—all prevalent in today’s current landscape as Covid-19 creates widespread disruption. It complicates leaders’ efforts to make lasting changes in their organizations—efforts that historically have required years of sustained effort to take root.
Institutions ranging from aerospace manufacturers to tax authorities have nevertheless persisted, focusing their efforts on lean management and agile. Both methodologies have proven their worth as integrated systems for helping improve performance.
