‘The Lean Manager: a Novel of Lean Transformation’ is a novelization about principles of Lean Management in action.

This review is from the point-of-view of one who doesn't know Lean. I am not a lean manager, but I’m married to one. This book was enormously helpful to me in ‘seeing’ what is involved in his daily work. Merging what I know from his evening conversations about his work, and what I learned from this book – THAT was eye-opening!

This book reflected the same issues that he deals with in the operations side of the manufacturing industry where he is employed. Highly skilled in his areas of expertise, holding degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration, and with experience in several Fortune 500 companies with good practice, these are principles in which he firmly believes. In his roles as plant manager and director, he knows this concept works, that it makes money for the company, that it makes valuable employees. Ah, but there’s the rub (as I see it as an onlooker). How to convince the tier of management above you to embrace the concept, rather than to just give it lip service. How to implement these practices, how to get your managers and supervisors excited about it, and to convince your workforce that this is to the best interest of all concerned.

As to the latter, I can see how this book is a virtual how-to manual, and more. My husband has started book circles at work, where a certain number of people are invited to read and discuss the book; then the new devotees expand to their own circles. Notwithstanding the fact that I know him to be a brilliant man, I do agree that that would be the perfect application for this book. This is a novel about a factory on the verge of being shut down, when its plant manager implements principles of Lean Manufacturing, turning around the bottom line and saving the plant, which happens to be in an area with few other job opportunities for those workers who would have lost their jobs. The Lean Manager shows in story form why a workforce would WANT to do things this way – because it saves your company money and makes you a valuable employee in the process.

But the former concern - how to convince upper management to care – THAT is not addressed. Unfortunately so, for a man of integrity in a world of companies where, too often, façade is counted of more importance than substance, both regarding people - valuing Sales over Operations, and flattery over performance; and regarding systems – wanting the ‘lean’ label but not the bother of the real thing. However, much in the book IS addressed to upper management, which, if they would deign to read it, would help them to understand that “…lean is really a management method. A full business strategy, not a production tactic.” (p.101)

Except for that (not small) point, The Lean Manager by Michael Balle and Freddy Balle seems to this outsider, at least, as though it would be an excellent tool in helping to implement Lean.

As to a rating, I’m a little flummoxed. It’s not the kind of novel you’d pick up just for reading pleasure, and if it were, the grammar and punctuation errors would seriously detract. Neither is it strictly a how-to manual, in which case it would be much too long and wordy. Judging by the amount of highlighting, underlines, jotted notes, stickies and paperclips adorning my husband’s copy, I conclude that it must be good for what it is. Going back through the book to type up my notes, I find it funny (?) that all the parts HE marked are about doing Lean, while all of MY notes were in the parts describing upper management deficiencies.

Bottom line - Speaking as one who is not its intended audience, I wouldn’t call it an enjoyable read, but I did find it very useful. ( )