Niklas Modig is a leading authority on the topics of lean and operational excellence.
Modig is a researcher at the Center for Innovation and Operations Management at Stockholm School of Economics.
His fluency in Japanese, multi-facetted experience from living and working in Japan and long & in-depth research background from Toyota Motor Corporation and the Toyota Dealer Network position him as one of the world’s leading lean experts.
From 2006 to 2008, Niklas was a visiting researcher at the ‘Center of Excellence – Manufacturing Management Research Center‘ at University of Tokyo where he researched together with Professor Takahiro Fujimoto – the leading Toyota researcher of all time.
As the first and only foreign researcher in the world, Niklas was given access to conduct an in-depth study of Toyota’s most high-performing service systems.
He has spent thousands of hours within Toyota trying to understand the depth of their philosophy.
This is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox.
Niklas Modig is the author of the international best-selling book – This is Lean.
Launched in October 2011, it has been translated into 14 languages and is the most sold ‘lean‘ book of all time.
By using clear, concise language and insightful examples, the book has brought greater clarification to the essence of lean and revolutionised executives and employees’ understanding of what lean actually is.
Niklas Modig Keynote Speaker:
Niklas is an internationally recognised keynote speaker within the fields of lean service and lean management. His most popular speeches include:
Defining Lean and Operational Excellence
Lean is the most spread management concept in the world. It’s applied within all types of functions in almost every industry.
However, recent research shows there is much more to learn. In this presentation, Niklas will give you a deeper understanding of what operational excellence is really about.
Niklas has spent thousands of hours inside Toyota Japan decoding their philosophy and way of working.
As a result, he will share his latest insights and help us explore how we can take our improvement initiatives to the next level and resolve the efficiency paradox.
Lean Change Management
This workshop helps managers understand the core features of lean management and change management.
The workshop is applicable for all industries, directed at executives at all managerial levels and appeals to both novices and experts.
The intention of the workshop is to cover all basic aspects that an executive needs to know in order to lead and drive a lean transformation program.
- What is a lean operations strategy?
- How is it implemented?
- How is a lean culture developed?
- What is the role of the management?
- Why do organizations fail and what are the main success factors?
The Efficiency Paradox
Efficiency is one of those concepts that everyone uses but very few understand.
During this presentation Modig argues that most individuals and organisations have an incorrect understanding of how to increase true efficiency.
We tend to over focus on individual and functional performance, and by doing so, we only sub-optimise our organisations by developing ‘oceans of efficient islands’.
As a result, research shows that these island organisations can be extremely problematic. Even if their metrics indicate that all of their islands are efficient, the system is NOT! Why?
Consequently, the more they try to squeeze out from each island, the more they lose sight of their customers. This will in turn develop a situation where the organisation lack understanding of what true value creation is.
The collection of islands become a powerful engine in producing self-generated waste and problems. Therefore, instead of fulfilling the needs of their customers the organisation panics and turn on ‘flight mode’.
In fact, the more efficient we think we are the more inefficient we will be.
