Recently, many businesses have used lean principles to move from a decentralized
corporate management mode to a hybrid model - recognizing that different
functions require different levels of centralized management to be efficient
and effective.

An effective lean transformation eliminates more than the most obvious areas
of wasted time and resource. A farsighted, lean agenda leverages a tiered
enterprise architecture addressing the unique requirements of various business
processes:

• Corporate level: Some processes are so critical that you must manage them
  at the corporate level to maintain close control and transparency



• Shared services level: Other processes, such as finance and human resources, can be consolidated across your enterprise - perhaps under a single COO-level leader.



• Division level: Some differentiating processes require decentralized management to be effective. These include sales and marketing, manufacturing, supply chain, and others depending on your specific business.

A leaner operation, driven by optimized processes at every level, will pay out
immediate cost reductions and ultimately improve your competitiveness in a
recovering economy.