Lean Connections

Kevin Meyer, in his “Evolving Excellence”  blog post today is very much on target concerning the declining importance and influence of traditional media.

“Two different articles both appearing yesterday and discussing obliquely-similar industries got me to wondering about business models and commitment to those models.  How long should an organization stay committed to a model?  When should it change?  What should trigger change?  The meat of the articles is nothing new and simply part of a long-term trend, but the data supporting the trend was just updated.”

“If you stay true to your beliefs and your passion, is it enough?” Kevin asks midway through his post…

Kevin, my sense is that beliefs and passion should not be confused with business models. Beliefs and passion are the source of the values (not as in “customer value”) which we as individuals have come to hold.

The business model, on the other hand, is how we think and execute during the process of serving customers and stakeholders, while at the same time upholding those values. Yes, it is critical that these values somehow manifest themselves in the business model, but they are only a small part of the total picture.

I agree that no business can succeed in the long-run without strong beliefs and passion, but the business model itself must evolve and transform over time. Toyota started out by making and selling weaving looms; Honda began with motorized two-wheeled vehicles; I’ve had to reinvent my own executive recruiting practice three times during the 15+ years I’ve been doing this.

So news organizations, just as every other company, should constantly reinvent to stay competitive in their market place. That’s not betraying beliefs and passions; it’s staying true to them by continually figuring out how to deliver ever more exceptional customer value.

Let’s hope they figure out their new future state in the market sooner rather than later. Long live the Lean Manufacturing (now Lean Management) business model.

Posted yesterday by John Moe who is currently Head of Business Consulting at Alphacourt Limited in the UK.    I’ve been following his posts for a while now and would classify a number of them as “seriously brilliant.”    John, I know quite a few of us Yanks will be grinning over lunch today as we read this.    Adam Zak

“Have you been confronted by a Black Belt recently? Unless you are into martial arts then this has most likely happened at work when you have been hit by a Lean Six Sigma (6S) initiative (or possibly operative if you got in the way). I am using 6S here to encompass both the Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma concepts, particularly as many organisations tend to use a hybrid of the two. What started off as a way for manufacturers to actual work out how to build something that didn’t disintegrate/explode/maim unexpectedly as soon as the punter got the product home (or in the case of British Leyland before you got home), has turned into a quasi-religious movement that comes with its own zealots and sacred texts”.  

More chuckles as you read the full text of John’s post here…