Managing on Purpose

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Does your organization struggle to achieve consistent business results? Do you set strategic goals but fail to see them translate into measurable outcomes? Are your teams disconnected from the execution of strategic priorities?

If so, Managing on Purpose introduces the hoshin kanri methodology—a proven system for aligning strategy with execution, enabling sustainable results across the organization. This approach has helped industry-leading organizations such as Toyota, Turner Construction, GE Appliances, and many others achieve breakthrough performance while fostering innovation and developing leadership capabilities.

Drawing from over two decades at Toyota and years coaching leaders in diverse industries, author Mark Reich provides step-by-step guidance on using hoshin kanri to focus on critical business challenges, deliver tangible results, and build long-term competitiveness. Through the detailed TrueMowers case study, readers will experience how this methodology drives real-world performance improvements.

Why This Book?

Organizations often struggle with three key challenges:

1. Setting realistic strategies that align with internal and external realities.
2. Translating those strategies into actionable and executable plans.
3. Adjusting effectively when plans encounter unforeseen obstacles.

Managing on Purpose demonstrates how hoshin kanri bridges these gaps, emphasizing results-driven transformation. Leaders who have implemented hoshin kanri have seen transformative outcomes:

• “When you compare 2019 to fiscal year 2024, we put seven points into gross margin,” says the CEO of Grand Rapids Chair. “As an MBA and an engineer, I’ve studied a lot of organizations, and seeing a seven-point improvement in gross margin is almost unheard of.”
• Executives at Turner Construction in New York credit hoshin kanri with improving their safety performance in New York City by over 80%, a critical success in one of the most challenging construction environments in the world.

These results show how hoshin kanri directly drives success, ensuring your strategy doesn’t just stay on paper but delivers impactful outcomes.

What You’ll Learn

• Develop Strategic Objectives: Annually define objectives that support your organization’s long-term vision and communicate those goals in ways that align across functions and levels of the organization.
• Engage Teams: Foster top-down and bottom-up collaboration and break down departmental silos to ensure everyone contributes to and supports shared objectives.
• Adapt with Agility: Build systems for ongoing review, learning, and adjustment when plans meet real-world challenges.
• Grow Leadership Capabilities: Use hoshin kanri not just to achieve results but to develop your leaders and build a culture of innovation.

Who Should Read This Book?

• Executives: Develop and manage a strategy that delivers real business impact.
• Managers: Bridge the gap between strategy and day-to-day execution.
• Lean Practitioners: Enable your company’s strategic transformation.

Whether you’re in manufacturing, healthcare, technology, or any other industry, Managing on Purpose will equip you with the tools and insights to transform your organization.

Key Features

• Real-World Case Study: Follow TrueMowers, a company in crisis, as it uses hoshin kanri to navigate market challenges, develop leadership, and achieve breakthrough results.
• Practical Tools and Techniques: Receive step-by-step guidance on using hoshin kanri, including templates and timelines.
• Insights from Toyota and industry-leading companies: Read real-world applications of hoshin kanri and how it enabled transformative performance.

Related Titles

The following titles complement Managing on Purpose, providing a comprehensive guide to building a complete lean management system—from hoshin kanri to daily management and problem-solving.

• Managing to Learn
  Gain a deep understanding of A3 problem-solving, a critical tool for aligning teams and solving problems effectively.
• Daily Management to Execute Strategy
  Discover how to establish daily management systems that ensure stable, sustainable operations as strategies are executed. This book complements Managing on Purpose by focusing on the operational discipline needed to sustain the results of hoshin kanri and achieve organizational goals.

Together, these books provide a roadmap for developing a robust lean management system that integrates strategic planning, daily execution, and problem-solving to achieve sustainable success.