The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road

by Jamie Flinchbaugh, Andy Carlino, Dennis Pawley (Foreword)

Embarking on a lean journey is similar to hitchhiking -- there are many roads on which to wander and no single one is right for all. This book reveals the most critical lessons learned over the authors' combined 30-plus years of exploring lean highways and shares stories based on real-world applications. The authors focus on areas where most lean efforts fail to illustrate steps to take to reenergize, accelerate and sustain a lean transformation. The book's ten chapters cover lean principles and thinking, lean leadership moves, the roadmap for lean transformation, common pitfalls of lean journeys, building an operating system, lean accounting, lean material management, lean in service organizations, and how individuals can apply lean to improve themselves. The book concludes with interviews of lean practitioners on the front lines of change at Chrysler, Ross Controls, DTE Energy. RSR Corporation, and Nemak.

Genres: Business, Management

216 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2005

About the author

As Founder of JFlinch, Jamie Flinchbaugh has helped purpose-driven leaders craft effective, resilient organizations at over 300 companies. Leveraging more than 30-years of experience and helping build over 20 companies, Jamie collaborates with leaders and their teams to bridge capability, strategic, cultural, and systems gaps so that they can safely span potential pitfalls and have a purposeful impact on their organizations.

Jamie has helped leaders across a wide spectrum of industries including healthcare, utilities, technology, consumer products, and professional services, including Harley-Davidson, Intel, Mars, Amazon, Crayola, Fidelity, Whirlpool, among many others.

Jamie is the author of People Solve Problems, The Power of Every Person, Every Day, Every Problem and co-author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean, Lessons from the Road and is the host of the podcast, People Solve Problems and the co-host of the Lean Whiskey podcast. He currently lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife, Jill Triani. Together they have three children, Emma, Jack, and Ben.

Reviews

[Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on lean that I have read. Of course I only read 2.

[Elinor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did you know that everything you need to know about Lean is conveniently, improbably and irritatingly arranged in groups of five? Five phases, five dimensions, five keys, five factors, etc.

Between the forced five groupings (unfortunately no Fox Force Five) and the dry writing style, readers of this book will acquire some truly useful and information about Lean but will also most likely alternate between boredom and annoyance.

Great concepts with a flawed execution. I'll be keeping it for reference, but doubt that I'll ever have the patience to read it cover-to-cover again.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ MAR 2022

Good book for anyone considering embarking on a lean approach. Authors do a good job of focusing in the principles and idea of "lean thinking" to achieve culture change versus lean as a "program" to be implemented.

[CawfeeDrinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read with practical anecdotes throughout the text.

[Mike Thelen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flinchbaugh uses some different terms, but his lessons were identical to my lessons from my Toyota mentor. As a professional colleague, I can say his thinking is identical to my own, his experiences similar, and his commitment to Lean second to none. One of my favorite Lean books.