Lean Principles for Process Optimization in the Energy Sector : Lessons Learned from an Industry Leader

The energy sector faces significant issues, including climate change and energy security, renewable energy integration, and infrastructure challenges. These issues demand innovative solutions and policy changes to ensure a sustainable and reliable energy future. Lean Principles can significantly benefit the energy sector by reducing waste, improving efficiency, and lowering costs, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and competitive industry.

Through interviews with the director of continuous improvement for a large metropolitan energy company, this book relates the journey of learning and growth as shared through storytelling, reflecting, and releasing tested wisdom. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, this Great Lean Leader unfolds the truths for how his organization got to sustainable success―and continues the relentless pursuit of value creation.

As part of the Great Lean Leaders series, this book is designed to provide several reference points for reading and learning about the what’s, why’s and how’s of Lean Leadership. The chapters are realistic and represent stories shared with authenticity and transparency based on two interviews of the Lean Leader. The book has five chapters. The first chapter is an overview of the interviews with Great Lean Leader. The second chapter is a referenced section of six Great Lean Leaders strategies and their benefits. The third chapter is an analysis of the applications of the three key Great Lean Leaders competencies: Communication, Critical Thinking and Change Leadership. The fourth chapter is the actual interview transcripts and link to the interview videos. The final chapter is a summary of a group interview of several Great Lean Leaders from various sectors. A description of Lean and Lean tools is scattered throughout the book to add relevance and expand the reader’s knowledge and reflection of the work of Great Lean Leaders.

Dr. Shannon Flumerfelt is an established author, professor, and consultant for executive training and development in Lean leadership. She has provided training, coaching, and various services to many successful current or emergent Lean leaders. She is the founder of Characters Lean Consulting (CLC) and has been instrumental in seeking Lean Continuous Improvement solutions for all sectors, especially for those where Lean is not common, such as the public sector and education. Dr. Flumerfelt is an Endowed Professor of Lean at Oakland University and is the Program Coordinator for the Lean Leadership Graduate Programs. She has published nine books and over 100 articles and is often called on for professional development advice and counsel, team development assistance, workshops, and speaking. She is the founder of the CASE Scholars initiative, providing noted scholarly volumes on leadership and systems complexity in aerospace engineering.

Michael Lerchenfeldt is Lean Black Belt Certification and a Doctoral Student, Department of Organizational Leadership, Oakland University. For over 15 years, Mike has taught English/language arts (ELA), math, and science classes at Iroquois Middle School in Chippewa Valley Schools. He graduated from Oakland University and Saginaw Valley State University with degrees in education and awards for exemplary volunteer service. He has presented and consulted at state and regional workshops and conferences on instructional design, personalized learning, digital transformation, ed-tech, and equity. In addition to researching and evaluating programs, his inherent curiosity inspired him to serve his community as a freelance writer. He is an expert in home buying and advocacy and has written hundreds of articles for websites, newspapers, and magazines. He loves the process of composing a story.