Way Forward

Garneau's book asks business leaders to see their company as a network of interlocking systems and subsystems, where people, organizations, and their missions affect one another and the wider society. Readers learn how to draw those connections clearly, make the customer the focus of every decision, and carry the same aims down through suppliers. The book also takes up what leadership actually is and what it is not, covering statistics-based management, process improvement, and human resources.

The author draws on Lean culture, managerial theory, and his own military experience. He sets several opposing pairs side by side: efficiencies of scale versus efficiencies of build, automation versus process improvement, process innovation versus product innovation, technical versus tactical proficiency, and pull versus push production. Most books on Lean concentrate on creating customer value while cutting waste. This one takes a wider view, adding modern management theory, team leadership, and economics, and aims to change how readers approach their work in business.

The central goal is to blend current management theories with the Lean mindset, with some economics added, so that today's leaders can build organizations that serve customers well and deliver value as efficiently as possible. Garneau asks readers to picture each role as a station on an assembly line, where every person's output becomes another person's input, and to consider whether their own activities make others more effective. Do organizations set themselves up for success or for failure? Most companies, if candid, would admit it is some of each, and the book is written to help them improve.