Leading the lean enterprise

A new generation of leaders and new models of effective leadership have emerged to manage the flatter organizational structures of the modern lean and agile companies. Research has shown that the roles of leaders change during the implementation of a lean transformation. There is a decision-making phase when change is initiated and leaders in this phase have to provide the vision and guidance, in addition to the resources, to enable the employees to understand the need for change and to accept and understand the reason for change. This calls for strategic, or transformational, leadership where goals and policies are clearly defined. Once defined, these can then be deployed and cascaded throughout the organization