New England Lean Summit

For decades, Lean transformations have promised organizations sustainable performance gains—yet research shows that 70% of these efforts fail. Why? Most Lean initiatives focus exclusively on tools, with little guidance on how to engage the workforce responsible for their implementation—let alone how to navigate the workplace dynamics that ultimately determine Lean’s adoption, effectiveness, and staying power.

In this provocative keynote, Scott Gauvin, Co-Founder of Respect for People Roadmap, challenges operations leaders to rethink their approach to driving operational excellence and what they think they know about Respect for People. The session highlights how workplace culture—not technical implementation—is the real bottleneck to sustainable improvement and the key to unlocking lasting performance at scale.

If your organization is ready to go beyond tools and build a culture where Lean can truly thrive, this session will show you how to start with people first—and make Lean stick.

Detail:

Participants will leave with:

• A fresh perspective on why Lean often fails to take root.
• Practical insights into operationalizing Respect for People as a driver of engagement and performance.
• Scalable strategies to strengthen collaboration, problem-solving, and ownership—before layering on tools and methods.
• A clear view of what happens when you start with culture.