My guest for episode #129 is Chris Cooper, a vice president with Simpler Consulting. We're talking about his new book The Little Book of Lean.
In the episode, Chris shares his extensive experience with Lean methodologies, tracing back over 20 years to his initial fascination with Japanese motorcycle manufacturing and his early career in the aerospace industry at BAE Systems. During this time, he was introduced to the Kawasaki Production System, which closely mirrored the Toyota Production System. Chris discusses the profound impact this had on his career and how it shaped his understanding of Lean principles and practices. He also touches upon his collaboration with notable figures in the Lean community, such as Jim Womack, Dan Jones, and George Koenigsaecker, and how these relationships further enriched his Lean journey.
The conversation delves into Chris's motivations for writing “The Little Book of Lean,” emphasizing the need for a straightforward, accessible introduction to Lean thinking that transcends industry boundaries. Chris explains how the book aims to distill Lean principles to their essence, making them applicable to various sectors, from manufacturing to healthcare and education. He discusses the importance of combining Lean tools with a strong cultural foundation and the necessity of achieving short-term results while maintaining a long-term commitment to continuous improvement. Chris also highlights the practical aspects of the book, designed to prompt readers to reflect on their own contexts and apply Lean thinking effectively. This episode is a rich exploration of Lean methodologies and offers valuable insights for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of continuous improvement and organizational excellence.
For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/129.
For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or Apple iTunes.
Questions and Topics:
Can you start off by telling the listeners about your background and how you first got involved with Lean in your career?
In the introduction to your book, “The Little Book of Lean,” you talk about some of your other influences like George Koenigsecher, Jim Womack, and Danaher. Can you talk about some of those influences and the impact, and what you learned from them?
Is there a difference between the Danaher approach and the Toyota approach?
Chris explained that the Danaher approach is generally more aggressive on the business front while being equally committed to cultural aspects. He noted that the Toyota approach is driven from a very Japanese perspective, which influences its methods and philosophy. In contrast, Danaher's founders are not traditional manufacturing experts, which allows them to approach problems and solutions without the typical manufacturing paradigms, leading to different strategic implementations. Additionally, Danaher is a habitual user of policy deployment, which is a cornerstone for successful Lean transformations and something that sets their approach apart from others.
Let's shift and talk about the book, “The Little Book of Lean.” Tell us the background, why you wrote the book, and what the intended audience and impact will be from the book that you think.
In the book, very early on, you state there's a lot more to this than a bunch of tools. Can you elaborate on some of the importance of combining principles and tools with culture and different ways of managing?
Chris emphasized that Lean tools are only a response to philosophical questions and that everything starts with the principles and essence of what you're trying to achieve. He explained that when you aim to remove waste or improve flow, the tools become important, but they should always take a secondary position to the underlying philosophy and principles. He mentioned that different tools can be used to solve the same problem and yield slightly different answers. Still, the main focus should always be on the overall philosophy and principles.
Chris also stressed that the book had to be small and deliberately distilled to capture the essence of Lean without expanding unnecessarily. The goal was to make the subject simple and accessible, avoiding the complexity that can deter new learners. He believes that understanding and applying Lean principles in a way that prompts personal and contextual thinking is crucial, as it allows individuals to adapt and solve problems in their own unique environments.
What's your response when you find somebody who maybe has that impatience and says, “Chris, you know, we got to get there next year”?
About Chris Cooper:
Joining Simpler in 2002, Chris Cooper has over 20 years of leadership experience in delivering successful large-scale Lean transformations across a wide range of industries, companies, and countries. His industry segment experience includes aerospace, defense, military, finance, marketing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).
Chris's Lean journey began in 1989 as a student of the Kawasaki Production System (KPS) while working for Europe's largest defense company, BAE Systems. During this time, he became part of the leadership team that drove the company's Lean transformation of the defense division all the way to a value-stream organized company winning a Queen's Award for Export. As a result, Chris was promoted to be the company's first Integrated Product Development Team Leader (IPT) position to introduce set-based concurrent engineering methods to Europe. During this period, Chris was trained in Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma by Motorola, Inc. As the IPT leader, he won a Chairman's Award for Innovation and a McDonnell Douglas Supplier award for introducing Lean techniques beyond the shop floor. Directly before joining Simpler, Chris was the Lean Advisor to the Eurofighter Program, then the world's largest non-U.S.-based military program, where he worked as a member of the Chief Engineer's staff team.
Chris's professional career in Lean and Six Sigma consulting began in 2002 when he joined Simpler in the early days of European expansion. As a member of the European leadership team, he has helped grow the business tenfold since. Chris has been at the forefront of the Lean revolution speaking at conferences, working with executive teams, and as an assessor for the Shingo Prize. He has been the sensei for many significant and pioneering Lean transformations. He has often introduced Lean concepts to new sectors and organizations in the commercial business and non-profit fields. As Vice President, Chris leads a multicultural team of consultants working in more than ten languages throughout Europe and Asia.
Chris has authored The Simpler Little Book of Lean and co-authored Lucky by Design with Rob Westrick.
Chris is an Aeronautical Engineer through his formal apprenticeship program with BAE Systems and has a Business and Technology (BTEC) Higher National Diploma (HND) from the University of Humberside. He lives in the North West of England with his wife and two children.
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Hi Mark,
Chris comment about the new generations of knowledge is absolutely spot on. It is amazing how many times in my career have heard solutions to the effect of “idouble turnover and we will become profitable” or “we are too small to compete”. On a larger scale look at how many mergers and acquisitions fail (and thus destroy wealth) following the same logic of bigger is better.
Good to hear an authentic Northern English accent too……