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BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEAN PRACTICE
ON THE CENTRAL COAST AND BEYOND

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We are dedicated to helping organizations and individuals master modern management principles for process and systems improvement. Born from the Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business, we've grown beyond our roots in lean principles to embrace a diverse range of best practices in operational excellence.

We're not just talking about IMPROVEMENT   
— We're LIVING it

BRINGING VALUE to our community with:

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Value-Driven Events
Our upcoming workshops and seminars are tailored to address the most pressing needs of our members.

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Streamlined Access
We've simplified our registration process and optimized our digital resources for easy, waste-free access to knowledge and networking opportunities.

 

Continuous Innovation
Based on your feedback, we're launching [specific new initiative or improvement]. Your insights drive our evolution!

 

Explore our current offerings and see how we're putting lean principles into action for YOU, our valued community members...

Participating Organizations

170+

Community Members

1000+

Events Per Year

17+

Workshop Size

to 50

Upcoming Events

SPONSORS

Mission Bank logo
Culture Stoke
Orfalea College of Business
Industrial Technology Advisory Board
Hardy Diagnstics
TMHA
Modus Institute
MoreSteam
Wonderful
Industrial Technology Society

PARTNERS

The Orfalea College of Business prepares career-ready business leaders through hands-on discovery and dedicated mentorship. A curriculum infused with cutting edge technology trends, and supplemented by cultural and social service experience, gives students the knowledge and experience needed to thrive in California and the global economy. Our graduates are innovative problem solvers, prepared to excel in a variety of business roles and catalyze positive change, wherever they are. 

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Relationship:  Central Coast Lean is set up as a “sponsored research project” under the OCOB.  This allows CCL to act somewhat independently while still benefiting from the Cal Poly relationship for facility access, liability protection, and reputation.  As a sponsored program, CCL financial accounting is overseen by the Cal Poly Corporation.  Eric Olsen is a Professor in the Industrial Technology Program and most of the CCL Student Team members are in the IT Program.  Professionals can attend online Cal Poly Lean Six Sigma classes and get certified through CCL.

The Shingo Institute’s purpose, based on ourtimeless principles, shapes cultures that drive organizational and operational excellence.  Their mission is to improve the process of improvement by conducting cutting edge research, providing relevant education, performing insightful organizational assessments, and recognizing organizations committed to achieving sustainable world-class results.

 

Relationship:  Central Coast Lean uses the Shingo Modelby permission as the framework for its New to Lean Workshop.  It is one of the best descriptions of how lean works out there.  The folks at Shingo host the website for LEAN and participate in LEAN’s Steering Team.  Ken Snyder, Executive Director of the Shingo Institute, has been a keynote at the CCL Summit.

FranklinCovey

The FranklinCovey organization is the global Leader in personal growth, team transformation and organizational change. 

 

Relationship:  Central Coast Lean is a local provider of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People training.  We are big believers that it takes effective people to make effective organizations.  CCL offers 7 Habits training to business, non-profit, and education organizations.  The 7 Habits Workshop is the kickoff for your Lean Leadership Workshop Series.  CCL has FranklinCovey certified trainers and is building a local 7 Habits community of practice.  A 7 Habits class is now offered for credit to Cal Poly students.     

Voltage Control is a change agency that helps leaders and teams thrive through change to fully unleash their potential. They specialize in interventions and training focused on facilitation, collaboration, psychological safety, and play for organizations experiencing uncertainty and change. From Fortune 100 companies to art startups, municipal service providers, and universities, Voltage Control has helped a spectrum of organizations embrace change and build resilient teams

 

Relationship:  Douglas Ferguson, President of Voltage Control, presented and facilitated at our Central Coast Lean Summit 2022. He and Voltage Control are a highly recommended for facilitation and "organizational improvement thinking" on the Central Coast.  They also host an excellent “Community Hub” for facilitators.

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Liberating Structures is a book, website, community and movement.  It is an alternative way to approach and design how people work together. It provides a menu of thirty-three Liberating Structures to replace or complement conventional practices.  Liberating Structures used routinely make it possible to build the kind of organization that everybody wants. They are designed to include everyone in shaping next steps.

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Relationship:  Central Coast Lean is a big fan of Liberating Structures.  Keith McCandless, the co-developer of LS, has been to SLO to do an immersion workshop and has been a Summit keynote.  We use Liberating Structures whenever possible in our meetings, kaizen events, and workshops.  We have aspirations of restarting our LS user’s group if you are interested.

The Respect for People (RFP) Roadmap helps organizations build sustainable lean cultures by addressing the often-overlooked "respect for people" pillar of lean transformation. Drawing from behavioral science, business theory, and organizational psychology, this innovative program provides a hands-on, actionable learning experience that helps teams assess and transform their culture by enhancing the behaviors that drive respect and fuel performance. 
Click here to learn more about the RFP Roadmap program →

 

Relationship:  Scott Gauvin, creator and founder of the RFP Roadmap, has been a long-time friend and contributor to Central Coast Lean, serving both as a workshop facilitator and Summit keynote speaker. This partnership represents a natural evolution of our shared commitment to helping organizations build strong lean cultures. Central Coast Lean is proud to partner with the RFP Roadmap program to bring this transformative approach to our community, combining continuous improvement tools with the cultural foundation needed for sustainable lean success. As part of this partnership, a portion of program fees supports Central Coast Lean's ongoing mission to build and sustain a community of lean practice on the Central Coast and beyond.

A non-profit organization serving San Luis Obispo and North Santa Barbara Counties, Transitions-Mental Health Association is dedicated to eliminating stigma and promoting recovery and wellness for people with mental illness through work, housing, community, and family support services.

 

Relationship:  Central Coast Lean first began working with Transitions Mental Health Association in the summer of 2020 as part of a three way partnership between TMHA, Cal Poly, and the Lean Enterprise Institute.  Paid by the James P Womack Scholarship & Philanthropy Fund, two Cal Poly interns worked on a project to demonstrate the benefits of implementing lean practices in a public service organization.  Since then, Central Coast Lean has "adopted" TMHA and provides free workshops and student project work in support of their mission “dedicated to eliminating stigma and promoting recovery and wellness for people with mental illness through work, housing, community, and family support services.”

BMA is the world’s leading lean accounting training and consulting firm. Our comprehensive approach to lean accounting implementation is designed to create a robust, sustainable lean accounting system for any organization wanting a transformation to lean accounting.

 

Relationship:  Nick Katko, President, is our “go-to-guy” for all questions on lean accounting and financial management.  He has done a lean accounting workshop for Central Coast Lean and regularly holding excellent, free webinars on lean accounting topics. 

MoreSteam is the leading global provider of online training, certifications, and technology for Lean Six Sigma.  They work with individuals, universities, and businesses large and small to provide proven solutions that are right for them. From interactive training to process improvement software, they are here to help you work as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

 

Relationship:  MoreSteam is a major source for lean six sigma training and workshops and general support for Central Coast Lean.  We use their online Green Belt and Black belt courses as the foundation for our certifications and offer their workshops periodically.  We have friends at MoreSteam.  If you are interested in bringing any of their products or training to your organization, let us know.  We can help.

CultureStoke exists to inspire meaningful lives at work and beyond by helping business leaders and teams create intentional company culture focused on long-term growth, success and happiness.  They offer three branches of support to help you build your very own world-class company culture.  

 

  • Culture Cultivation: Learn the proven systems and practices you need to build, grow, and sustain your very own happy, healthy, high-performing company culture.

  • Speaking & Workshops: Inspire, align and empower your team to build a bigger and brighter future, together, through meaningful experiences and conversations.

  • Leadership Enablement: Equip your leaders with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to grow your most valuable asset - your people.

 

Relationship:  CultureStoke is proud to partner with Central Coast Lean to help organizations that want to embed lean into their culture through proven methods of organizational cultural development.  Working together to make out work beyond just the summation of tasks that we do and connecting it to the impact it has to the world around us.

Lean HE aims to ensure that continuous improvement philosophies within Higher Education (HE) are themselves always improving.  The Lean HE Americas division gives university, college, and community college Lean practitioners in North and South America an opportunity to network and learn from others in the Lean-in-higher-education arena. This forum will give members opportunities to share best practices and emerging techniques that will support service improvement across their organization

 

Relationship: Eric Olsen, Director of Central Coast Lean, is also on the Steering Team for the Lean HE Americas group. CCL's efforts to teach lean to college students and build lean practice in local institutions of higher learning overlaps with Lean HE's mission to bring lean to universities and colleges. Appropriate Lean HE events appear in the CCL calendar page. Lean HE folks are invited to attend CCL events and often show up at virtual events like Lean Coffee.

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