The Triumph of Classical Management Over Lean Management: How Tradition Prevails and What to Do About It

“The Triumph of Classical Management over Lean Management” is a refreshing perspective about why many people fail to engage leaders in Lean management.Practitioners can be perplexed as to the limited Lean adoption by their management, no matter the results of any / all successful Lean initiatives. Dr. Emiliani provides an answer by discussing the socio-economic environment influencing organizational leadership hierarchies.Dr. Emiliani’s book provides a compass to help navigate a storm of conflicting classical and Lean management cultures. It is a compilation of five research papers that range in topics from understanding why some executives resist Lean to dismantling classical management.A ‘must have’ for any Lean professional, especially those that embrace progressive management systems.

Just finished reading The triumph of classical management over lean management by Professor Bob EmilianiVery thought provoking read that has already changed my perception on the challenges of lean transformation and has me contemplating how to use this knowledge to benefit my organization and self.Still letting things sink in and I'm sure that I'll be wiser going forward.Thank you very much Professor Emiliani for this very different view of things!I highly recommend the book to those who feel that their transformation isn't going as planned and for anybody that wants to enrich their knowledge of management.

Have you ever wondered why senior executives are indifferent toward lean methods? This book doesn't merely speculate. Rather, it presents a thoughtful line of reasoning, and it explains the historical context of the issue. Even the footnotes were interesting! My only suggestion is that more political policy solutions could be considered. Deming thought that American economists should focus on finding ways to overcome the short-term biases of executives. In particular, laws that specify how executives can be compensated could be considered.

This is a thoughtful, logical and non-judgmental look at why American business systems defeat Lean efforts, although suggestions regarding our ability to overcome 200 years of business culture are unlikely to defeat management's perception of its own inherent superiority (also not a judgment - we get to make decisions through a history of achievement).

Bob, love your latest book “The Triumph of Classical Management over Lean Management”. For me, as impactful as Ohno’s “Workplace Management” and Deming’s “The New Economics”. THANK YOU for shining a light on the “reasons why” Classical Management is so tenacious and far behind the positive attributes of TPS. From my perspective, Table 1-1 on page 25 could be used as a checklist for what type of leader the reader chooses to be. This book mentioned above should be required reading in all BA/MBA programs. Stay the course and nicely done! JM

This book codifies what many have been thinking for years. It also helps Lean practitioners understand the complexities of social norms withing organizations and if used as a guide may help those who are serious about changing culture to have a bigger impact. -FM CLSSMBB, MIM

Well researched and organized analysis of the cultural barriers of "the executive class" that impedes change- especially Lean transformation efforts that require a complete dismemberment of classical management values and behaviors. "Lean is sober."

I enjoyed the main thesis of the book as it provides the best reason why practical methodologies such as lean are not adopted by the executive class.

Controversial but importantly so..