Flatlined: Why Lean Transformations Fail and What to Do About It

With 30 years of driving Lean transformations under his belt—both in-house at Danaher and as the founder of Lean Horizons—Mark C. DeLuzio has a vantage point across a variety of industries. He often hears the challenges Lean leaders face now that they’ve been implementing Lean for a decade or more. They are concerned that they aren’t getting the results they used to, and they don’t know why. Most leaders believe their problems are unique to their company, but Mark sees more commonalities than differences. Flatlined: Why Lean Transformations Fail and What to Do About It draws on the author’s experience as the original pioneer of the most successful Lean business system next to Toyota, as well as his progress over the past 18 years in helping companies replicate what Danaher achieved. Mark DeLuzio knows you need an actionable approach to make rapid shifts, not theory.

With this book, Mark DeLuzio gives you:

• the reasons why companies are now flatlining with Lean;

• five steps to solving this problem, no matter what your industry or corporate culture;

• real talk on why your organization is probably mediocre (even if it’s making a lot of money) and how to disrupt it to make it genuinely world class;

• the questions you should always be asking at every stage and level of your Lean initiative.

Mark DeLuzio—known as a pioneer of Lean and the principal architect of the Danaher Business System (DBS)—serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders in global organizations whose financial and operation metrics have flatlined. Leveraging his unmatched and inventive experience, Mark helps them think differently about how to optimize their approach system wide. For his winning record in transforming companies and facilitating non-zero-sum game deals, Mark also served on the board of Hillenbrand Inc. (NYSE: HI) for eleven years.

While many know Lean in theory, Mark has lived it inside and out in practice. After developing the first Lean Accounting process in the US for Danaher’s Jake Brake Division—setting an industry standard many companies are still trying to replicate—Mark became the VP of Danaher Business Systems where he led its global deployment and enlightened Wall Street on its merits. Engaged in their first study mission to Japan to learn from Toyota and its suppliers, he’s still mentored by the masters of the Toyota Production System today. Fundamental in Danaher’s recognition as one of the leading implementers of Lean, Mark founded Lean Horizons Consulting in 2001 to helm a global team that serves clients on five continents in both specific and broad business applications of Lean. Their hallmark project with GE’s Money Division—that generated $216 million in its first year by reducing retail credit card processing approvals to one day from 63—was profiled in the Harvard Business Review. In 2007, Mark’s ÒExcellence in ManufacturingÓ contributions were recognized when he was inducted as a Life Member of the Shingo Prize Academy, the ÒHall of FameÓ for Lean Leaders.

Whether through speaking, authoring, or service on corporate and non-profit boards, Mark’s passion for educating others is evident, and he spent eight years on the board of his alma mater’s school of business. Institutions like MIT’s Sloan School of Business, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business, and RIT have invited him to talk with their students about his experiences with DBS and Lean in order to deepen their understanding of what does and doesn’t add value.

Mark DeLuzio is a devoted family man and Blue and Gold Star Father who moved with his wife, Diane, from Connecticut to Arizona, so they didn’t have to watch their grandchildren grow up on Facebook. Mark and Diane were instrumental in founding The Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial Park, a serene space to reminisce and reflect as one walks the path of fallen military heroes. (www.cttreesofhonor.com). Mark and Diane also formed B.R.A.V.E., a no-cost service that assists military veteran entrepreneurs in reaching their dreams with existing businesses or new start-ups (www.4thebrave.org).