How To Succeed With Continuous Improvement A Primer For Becoming The Best In The World

How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement: A Primer for Becoming the Best in the World

Your organizational transformation begins here! Comprehensive, detailed, and easy to read and understand, How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement takes you through a real-life case study of one organization’s journey to a world-class continuous improvement process. Joakim Ahlstrom—one of the world’s most respected continuous improvement experts—serves as your coach. He first helps you decide whether you want to embark on the continuous improvement journey and takes you through the entire process step by step, all the way through generating remarkable business results with his unique methods. In each chapter, Ahlstrom describes a specific stage of the transformation story and provides a clear analysis of each one to help you apply his methods in your own company. In no time you’ll grasp all the concepts you need to know. How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement covers it all, including: How to shift mindsets and behaviors using the often neglected practice of coaching Common pitfalls to help you plan out how you will apply the principles and practices Using “six-legged spiders” and “fishy” diagrams to achieve measurable results Ways to avoid “Watermelon” key performance indicators that often mask the truth Ahlstrom explains rational behind all the methods in the book—the results they produce, and why—and offers practical advice on how to get full input from everyone involved. Ahlstrom concludes the book with a chapter offering a current-state analysis tool and a simple template to apply in your company. If you’re seeking to design and launch a continuous improvement program, How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement is the first book you should turn to—and it’s the last one you’ll ever need! Praise for How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement “Using a story he lived through, Joakim vividly brings to life for us the transformation from a mediocre top-down organization depending on a few internal experts for its survival to a high performance organization of empowered employees engaged in continuous improvement.” –Jeffrey Liker, bestselling author of The Toyota Way “This succinct book packs an enormous amount of wisdom and experience into an entertaining fast read. It gives a clear roadmap for any leader to implement a strong continuous improvement program in his or her unit. Highly recommended!” –Alan G. Robinson, Professor of Management, University of Massachusetts and author of Corporate Creativity and Ideas are Free “The most valuable and lean book I have read about lean.” –Göran Martinsson, Continuous improvement Manager, IKEA “Well written, easy to read, filled with excellent examples . . . If you only plan to read one change management book this year, this is the book you should read.” –Dag Näslund, Professor of Management, University of North Florida “An amazing guide in lean principles, with simple tools for simplifications.” –Susanne Schipper, Continuous Improvement Coach, AstraZeneca “Simplicity is the essence of this great book. Ahlstrom delivers a straightforward and simple approach to support your work with continuous improvement.” –Ronny Ålund, Productivity Management, Volvo CE “This book is a little gem with large content! Unlike many other books on the subject, you only have to read it once because it sticks.” –Johan Valett, Vice President Haldex Way, Haldex “I recommend How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement to anyone who needs a fast and inspiring introduction to continuous improvement.” –Janne Lundberg, Global Lean Innovation Manager, Assa Abloy

How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement in Organizations

This book presents what you need to know to really implement continuous improvement in companies or other organizations. In addition to all the support needed for this to make sense, the importance of the right direction to guide it is unveiled. The reader will find in this book the origins of continuous improvement and all the framing that justifies and demystifies it in the aspects that characterize the socio-technical nature of organizations. This work also explores the need for effective coexistence between technical aspects and behavioral and cultural aspects, so that continuous improvement and excellence are achieved in organizations. Topics discussed in the book include: The origins of continuous improvement The main operational excellence models The invisible side of organizations The visible side of organizations Decoding continuous improvement The maturity levels of continuous improvement Some models and tips for the implementation of continuous improvement Main tools associated to excellence in organizations This book was written with the aim of helping engineering students in courses related to operations management to develop skills in this area, as well as businessmen with curiosity about this subject, production directors, people responsible for continuous improvement and all professionals working in companies or other organizations with responsibility for their performance and their future.