Lean Transformations for Small and Medium Enterprises: Lessons Learned from Italian Businesses

The book illustrates lessons learned from the recent and ongoing transformation of the Italian Economy. The adoption of Lean thinking by Italian small/medium enterprises (SMEs) is leading the recovery after decades of industrial decline. It summarizes two decades of research, teaching, and practice on Lean thinking. It offers a fresh, unconventional view of how Lean principles fostered competitiveness among SMEs. Although it focusses on Italian businesses, it speaks strongly to all economies where SMEs play an important role. The roadmap offered builds on the the LTF (Lean transformation framework) conceptualized by John Shook at the Lean Enterprise Institute and the Lean Global Network.