The Sensei Way at Work: The Five Keys to a Lean Business Transformation

The Sensei Way at Work follows in the wake of dozens of successful business books on the Toyota production system, lean enterprise, and the Toyota Way, yet it is unique. It identifies the five keys that sustain successful lean production in Western enterprises—a challenge that has stymied business leaders, managers, and lean coaches for decades.The first reason for our frequent inability to sustain the initial gains of lean startups is a misunderstanding of the Japanese term "kaizen mind." Many mistranslate it as a "hunger" for business efficiency and cost reduction. In fact, kaizen mind is a psychology of "mindfulness" joined with "creativity." And once evoked by a sensei, it can be applied (without training) when a leader mandates that employees and managers solve quality problems and redesign the work together.The second reason is our need to develop new change leaders who know "the way." A sensei immerses prospects in a series of challenges until they learn to do the work of change with the mind of a leader, that is, from the states of presence, flow, and compassion.Lasting organizational transformation becomes possible, even inevitable, when its leaders learn the five keys and realize "one big thing" in the Sensei Way.

About the Author

Dan Prock, President of Sensei Way LLC, is a strategic change consultant with a degree in engineering, advanced degrees in psychology, and 28 years of experience in consulting on lean implementation and manufacturing, and organizational initiatives. During his graduate program Dan worked at AT&T and did his first value stream map by hand for a work redesign workshop. Since the days of working at Cummins Engine, he has coached lean leaders in both value stream transformations and the coaching skills of Toyota kata. Dan also developed a method of tying Kaizen to the American concept of self-directed teams, and worked with the Kaizen institute of America implementing continuous improvement in companies such as Robert Bosch, Ford, and numerous OEM suppliers. Please visit: http://www.senseiway.com/