Pathway to Adaptability: Executive Lean and the Eight Steps to the Adaptive Enterprise

Business enterprises are in constant pursuit of competitive advantage and increased productivity. These are core issues for acquiring capacity, asset utilization and the process of adding value. Increased profits measure success.

The last thirty years have seen a progression of major changes propelled by the incessant demand to service these two elusive goals. Sourcing from offshore, optimizing vertical systems, ERP, Lean, Complexity Theory, Situational Assessment and the Theory of Constraints along with various management concepts used to drive innovation, have each created its own minor universe and absorbed a significant share of business investment. These systems should be viewed as dependent systems, components for building the highly adaptive enterprise. A discussion of these components is included in the book.

Adaptation will take the enterprise to a new competitive level. To achieve these goals enterprises must become very smart, building real-time intelligence into every activity. Without an accurate foundation, this cannot be achieved. Adaptability is a specific strategic goal with an opportunity for significant rewards.

The Pathway to Adaptability is a step-by-step conceptual foundation, defining the adaptive enterprise and assessing your progress on the path to adaptability. The included positional assessment is worth the price of the book.

The chain of change starts with the Board of Directors and progresses through seven major steps leading to new levels of competitive advantage and productivity. Make no mistake. This pathway is a brutal climb with real risks, but many enterprises are already traveling on it, some running hard. They may be your competitors.

Our in-process book, Building the Smart Enterprise, layers specific solutions on the foundation outlined in Pathway to Adaptability.

About The Author Relevant Business Experience Wayne Staley established Affinity Systems LLC, a Rothschild, WI, (affinitysystemsllc.com) based systems consulting company in 1997. He has a background in management and project leadership including IT, Shop Operations and Materials Management. His experience includes manufacturing, distribution, governmental, and service enterprises. His focus is on actions that improve business systems, starting with corporate governance, inclusive of all internal processes and ending with product on the customer dock. He uses research as a driver for innovation, continuing education and as a catalyst for defining systems solutions in an ever more complex and integrated world. His book, "Pathway to Adaptability - Executive Lean and Eight Steps to the Adaptive Enterprise", was published in 2008. It addresses the need for corporate leadership, a governance system and provides a methodology for building intelligent and adaptive enterprises. He created CompetitiveAmerica.us, advocating for the American factory system. A number of his white papers are posted on the website. Wayne is focusing on consulting, public speaking, and the development of a new company, Phase Four Graphics LLC. He has other manuscripts in process. Education: Wichita State; Milwaukee Institute of Technology;
University of WI, Marathon Campus; North Central Technical College Industry Experience
Vertically integrated forest products, pumps, furnaces, heavy equipment, electric motors and generators, medical equipment, printing, textiles, hospital, convention management, distribution, paper conversion and products, government information systems. Process Knowledge
Fabrication and machining processes, green sand foundry, aluminum, bronze and brass casting, silk screening, offset, graphics, annealing, plastic injection, manufacturing cells, assembly processes (batch, progressive, continuous and synchronous flow), packaging, warehousing, shipping, transportation. ERP Software Packages - Implemented, worked with or evaluated Manufacturing and Logistics: JD Edwards, ASI Software Systems, HagenOA, JBA Style Software, BPCS, Shiva, Harris Data, CMS, Intentia, VAI; Best, Discovery Solutions, Lilly Software, Navision, Syspro, Varsity Logistics Service - Solomon Software (Great Plains), Avectra convention software. Software Evaluation, Purchase and installation Developed a structured consulting and software systems methodology. This provides a road map for: Business Needs Assessment, RFP, Software Evaluation, Selection and Implementation. All installations require some process changes. A methodology has been developed and used for Lean Programs. This is a logical follow through from the software installation but it is also a stand-alone activity. Training programs were developed and used to support and implement these programs. Research Projects

* ERP-thirty years of experience and study on Enterprise systems-Seminar on ERP-Lessons Learned.

* In 2004, he traveled to the APICS International Seminar and to China researching Global Supply Chains. He attended the 2007 APICS International Convention to research leadership and business governance.

* China - a white paper is posted on the competitiveamerica.us web site.

* Supply Chain Management-converted into a series of seminars.

* Supply Chain Collaboration-converted into a seminar.

* Corporate governance and leadership- authored a book on corporate governance.

* Trade - analyzed Americas trade relationship to the rest of the world - a white paper is posted on the competitiveamerica.us web site.

* Elements of productivity - developed manuscript for productivity improvement - converted into a seminar.

* Rapi