USU club teaches different way of thinking
Thinking more productively, eliminating waste, providing the consumer with what they want and producing a product at the lowest possible cost are good business techniques, but Lance Giles, senior in accounting and president of the USU Lean Leaders club, said these skills can help anyone in any industry or career.
“It teaches a different way of thinking,” he said. “Two principles are key in this kind of thinking: continuous improvement and respect for humanity. It’s really respecting the individual and doing the best we can possibly do.”
Matt Huntsman, senior in finance and economics and executive vice president of the Lean Leaders club, said the group was created last semester to help students accelerate their careers and put them at the top of a resume stack by adopting this way of thinking.
“Lean thinking was first used in manufacturing but it has broadened out to everything … anything from health care to accounting, and proves to be profitable in every company,” Huntsman said.
Giles said the club is supported by the Shingo Prize in the Huntsman School of Business, an award given to businesses that promote the Lean business practices first demonstrated by Shigeo Shingo, a Japanese industrial engineer accredited with creating and writing about Toyota’s revolutionary production system.
Giles said the club, which has about 20 members, meets every other week to hear speakers, observe companies that demonstrate Lean qualities and offer networking capabilities. Giles said the club has been able to hear from high quality speakers, including Pat Poyfair from O.C. Tanner and Bob Emiliani, who has written and published many books on Lean, and several employees from Raytheon, a world-wide company with contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Huntsman said USU is able to get high profile speakers because of their emphasis on Lean education.
“Raytheon usually visits high profile universities like Duke, Yale or Harvard, but USU is able to get attention because of Lean education,” Huntsman said.
Giles said the club has also learned more about Lean education by visiting companies in the valley that practice Lean techniques.
Giles said an example of using Lean in his own life is practicing a technique called PDCA.
“It stands for plan, do, check and adjust,” he said. “Whatever you’re doing, take time and plan it, do what you planned, check up on it … then adjust and tweak.”
Huntsman said by using Lean techniques a person can constantly be improving every aspect of their life.
“It’s part of a way of thinking,” he said. “After you change something, still keep an open mind that there is probably a better way even then to do something. After making improvements, check on it and then maybe make more adjustments.”
Giles said anyone is invited to attend Lean Leaders meetings or join the club. He said their next meeting will feature Brandon Ruggles, a USU student, speaking on “Root Causes of Problems” and will be April 8 at 8 p.m. in Engineering 203. Students may sign up to be members of Lean Leaders by contacting him at chevalier06@gmail.com.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu