Lean Advancement Initiative (LAI) – A Learning Community for Enterprise Transformation Through Holistic Enterprise Systems Thinking

Abstract

This white paper gives an overview of the Lean Advancement Initiative (LAI), defines LAI’s focus, outlines the central ideas and concepts driving LAI’s approach, explains the similarities and differences between LAI’s approach and various continuous process improvement methods, and highlights how all of these approaches can be used in combination most effectively to achieve enterprise change and transformation. The paper is addressed at a general business, government and academic audience interested in enterprise transformation, with particular focus on the role of the Lean Advancement Initiative as a unique industry-government-academic partnership dedicated to the creation of a learning community for enterprise transformation through holistic enterprise systems thinking.