Lean Leadership is the pillar that sustains a company's entire transformation toward operational excellence.
Unlike traditional management, the Lean Leader acts as a sensei: developing people, going to the gemba, solving problems at the root cause and spreading the culture of continuous improvement at every level.
Leader of a lean transformation with the authority and initiative to undertake the fundamental changes. The change agent, who often comes from outside the organization, does not need in-depth knowledge of lean philosophy at the start of the transformation. Compare with: Sensei.
Term used at Toyota for the manager with full responsibility for the development and success of a product line; formerly known by the Japanese term shusa. See : Value Stream Manager.
Japanese term for "actual place," usually used for the shop floor or any place where value-creating work takes place. Also spelled with an "n": genba.
A particular type of hands-on workshop in which people "learn by doing." The term literally means "self-study" in Japanese. See : Kaizen Workshop, Toyota Production System.
A program for training and developing employees that shows the skills required and the skills already developed. See: Multi-Process Handling.
Japanese for teacher. Used by lean thinkers to denote a master of lean knowledge, the result of years of experience in transforming the gemba (the place where the work is done). A sensei must also be a teacher who inspires his or her students and whose teachings are easy to understand. Compare with : Change Agent.
A project leader, like the chief engineer in Toyota's product development system. See: Chief Engineer.
An individual with clear responsibility for the success of a value stream. The value stream can be defined at the product or business level (including product development), or at the plant or operations level (from raw materials to delivery). The value stream manager is the architect of the value stream, identifying value as defined by the customer and leading the effort to achieve an ever leaner flow. See : Chief Engineer.
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