User:Scrate

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Time for Lean Government has Arrived!

By Stephen C. Crate, MPA

There is a organizational development initiative being used through out the country and the world that has transformed some manufacturing environments from a wasteful inefficient organization with very unsatisfied employees to a lean efficient organization with proud motivated employees. Toyota is most noted for this approach to organizational process analysis. Sikorsky Helicopter is another. There are many other examples in the private for profit sector. This process for analyzing work process, which involves identifying where operational waste exists and creating more efficient operations, is making its way into the public sector. Does lean thinking belong in the public sector? With the current budget constraints in most public sector environments and related public pressure for ethical and responsible government it is extremely important that programs and services using public funds are accountable and effective. This has led some public sector analysts to seek various strategies to objectively measure government efficiencies. Lean thinking is one of these strategies that is being used in some public sector environments. Lean thinking when viewed in terms of tax supported programs is a response that citizen are finally cheering about. The same service for less tax dollars? Is that possible?