Postscript

Fueled by a Dream

In 1990, Womack and Jones formulated the first structured arguments in favor
of lean production in their book The Machine that Changed the World . Their
next book Lean Thinking came six years later and really spread the word about
lean. Today, you wont find many production companies that have not imple-
mented lean production. However, lean innovation is a more recent develop-
ment and has not yet caught on in the same way as lean production. But we
see more and more examples of companies that have successfully implemented
lean in their knowledge work.
The potential for developing knowledge-based organizations and processes
is enormous both because it takes place early in the value chain and because
more and more people will work with knowledge and fewer with production. So
the question is not whether there will be a big breakthrough but when and how
it will come.
In 1990, Womack and Jones claimed that it took more than 50 years to spread
the idea of mass production, and they asked how long it would take lean produc-
tion to reach every corner of the world. They assumed it would happen within
ten years. In fact, it took nearly 20 years, but the impact on global competition
has been overwhelming.
So how long will it take for lean innovation to spread? It is difficult to say.
But one thing is certain, the need for innovation is greater today than ever before.
Pressure from global competition and developing countries will increase. It is
simply crucial, especially for the old economies, that we learn to innovate more
efficiently. Anyone who has worked in Asia knows the aspiration and energy
that we are up against. There is no doubt that these countries are open to intro-
ducing new ways of working that can boost the effect of the employees spe-
cialist knowledge. We therefore encourage all companies to take the competi-
tion seriously and get started on an ambitious improvement process, also within
knowledge work.

There are stars out there in the form of companies that have achieved fantas-
tic results because they have been able to create a culture that brings unique
solutions to the market. We all know who they are, but there are many more

C. Sehested, H. Sonnenberg, Lean Innovation, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-15895-7,

Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
186 Postscript Fueled by a Dream

companies that work down to earth and make progress one day at a time.
These companies or their employees might feel like they do not have a chance
to become stars. But they do. And the way forward is to have an ambition to
make innovation something different and more than it is today. Without that
ambition, it does not make much sense to initiate a learning process in which
they get better and better day by day. But with that ambition, lean innovation
can be the path that brings the company closer to the stars. There is everything
to be gained, on both a financial and human level. Your customers will be more
satisfied, your work will be more gratifying and your relationship with your
colleagues will be better.
Some people resist lean innovation because the perceive an unsolvable
dilemma between innovation and lean and between creativity and efficiency.
The purpose of this book is to demonstrate that there is no dilemma. It is our
hope that the readers can use this book to overcome their own skepticism and
that of others and that they can launch a development which increases both the
speed and predictability of their innovation processes.
We hope the reader will be motivated to embark on this journey with their
colleagues, just like people did in the 15th century from the Port of Cdiz, fueled
by a common dream. The only difference is that today we encourage the travel-
ers to divide their journey up into smaller stages and bring home the bounty as
they go along rather than wait to cash in until the very end.


The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it,
but that it is too low, and we reach it.
Michelangelo
CLAUS SEHESTED is partner with Implement Consulting Group. He has
managed a number of lean innovation programs in larger industry and service
corporations. Claus started his career in Danfoss A/S and Tektronix Inc. He
holds a PhD from Technical University of Denmark and Technische Universitt
Mnchen. He has worked with strategy, organizational and business develop-
ment across Europe, United States and Asia. Claus is author on several publica-
tions about innovation and product development.

HENRIK SONNENBERG is working as management consultant with Imple-

ment Consulting Group, focusing on strategy and innovation processes. Across
Europe and Asia he managed initiatives within product strategy, product devel-
opment and manufacturing effectiveness. He is educated machinist, mechanical
engineer, and hold an MBA from Carlson School at University of Minnesota.
Henrik is author of the crime novel Ghettoen, ex-graffiti artist and currently a
capable off-piste snowboarder.