Lean and Ben Franklin

Lean Learning Center: Newsletter

The latest issue (#12) of the "Lean Progress" newsletter from Jamie Flinchbaugh and the Lean Learning Center is available now.

There's always great content in the newsletter. One piece I particularly liked was called "Lean Thinking from Benjamin Franklin," written by Debra S. Levantrosser, the Executive Director of Lean and Business Improvement at Johnson & Johnson.

I always enjoy reading about "Lean history" -- the origins of Lean thinking from sources such as Henry Ford, Samuel Smiles, the Training Within Industry program, etc.

Levantrosser's piece draws parallels between Benjamin Franklin's writings, philosophies, and business concepts and modern Lean thinking. Franklin's time as Postmaster General is highlighted as an early adaptation of Lean principles in efficient government operations.

Check it out, it's a very noteworthy piece. If you haven't already registered for Jamie's site, you'll have to do so to read the newsletter. But, that effort is well worth the time for the content that you'll receive.

An excerpt, reprinted with permission:

"...Franklin lived other lean principles. Innovation and experimentation, servant leader mentality, communication, customer-service orientation, striving for perfection and supporting small, incremental changes were central to the implementation of his virtues.

Regarding innovation, he experimented with ideas until he found something that was successful and met a customer need and was often many steps ahead of his customers’ thinking giving them more than they even thought possible. He finally created a new street lamp to keep the streets successfully lit all night and that could be repaired easily if broken. This may sound like an inconsequential improvement but going from little or no light to full light had a direct positive impact on crime and business performance."

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