Lean Thinking and Transferring Lean Management - The Best Defence against an Economic Recession?

Productivity growth is a fundamental means for society to improve its living standards. Productivity growth comes from technological change (new ways of producing goods and services) and better organisation of production (better ways of using available resources given available technology). Both processes operate simultaneously and, in practice, it is difficult to distinguish between the effects of each process. The processes are dynamic and affect individual activities differently over time. These years, manufacturing functions have been transferred rapidly and globally from mature countries to emerging countries. This paper is about the lean philosophy and the critical elements for successful transfer of lean management among sites and countries.