Lean Strategy Making
Standardizing your company’s approach can pay off. Here’s how. by Michael Mankins
Todd McLellan
Summary.
In lean manufacturing, the goal is to establish precise procedures for making products in the safest, easiest, and most efficient manner possible. When critical processes become standard work, variation decreases, throughput increases, costs fall, and quality rises. Companies as diverse as Toyota, Amazon, Intel, and Nike leverage this approach in their operations to great effect.
Read more on Process management or related topics Lean business model, Leadership vision, Strategy, Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Decision making and problem solving and Strategy formulation
A version of this article appeared in the May–June 2025 issue of Harvard Business Review.
Read more on Process management or related topics Lean business model, Leadership vision, Strategy, Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Decision making and problem solving and Strategy formulation