Planet Lean

INTERVIEW – Ahead of his presentation at the Lean Global Connection 2026, Tomasz Baum tells about Corning Optical Communications’ program to develop leadership capabilities at the front line. Interviewee: Tomasz Baum Planet Lean: Can you please introduce Corning Optical Communications to our audience? How long has the company been on a lean journey?

FEATURE – Respect is Lean's generative principle. The author maps how it radiates toward self, team, customers, suppliers, society — separating real transformation from mere deference. Words: Matteo Consagra As humans, we are drawn to unifying ideas — single principles that bring order to complexity. Stephen Hawking, for example, spent decades searching for one in physics: a theory capable of reconciling gravity, electromagnetism, and nuclear forces into a single coherent framework.

Marie-Pia Ignace, Erasto Meneses & Theodor Panayotov • COLUMN – In this column, three lean and technology experts respond to the same pressing question shaping today’s tech/AI debate. This month, we ask whether it is possible for countries to achieve digital sovereignty without destroying the environment.

INTERVIEW – This conversation with a former Michelin senior leader explores how redefining managers as problem-solving coaches helped the company develop autonomous teams and sustain continuous improvement. Interviewee: Jean-Christophe Guérin Interviewer: Juan Ruiz with Roberto Priolo For decades now, thousands of organizations have tried to embrace Lean Thinking. They've installed visual boards, introduced daily meetings, deployed metrics, and trained their leaders in problem solving.

COLUMN – Aviation research on hierarchy and communication failures reveals a cultural predictor of patient safety: high-power-distance cultures silencing the voices that could prevent harm.

Roberto Priolo Roberto Priolo • FEATURE - This year’s Lean Global Connection - and the campaign we have devised to promote it - reminds us that there is a fundamental thing AI cannot replicate: human creativity and resolve. ‍ ‍Words: Roberto Priolo ‍ There is a detail in Picasso's Guernica that most people miss when they first look at the giant painting: a small flower growing out of the hand of a fallen man, still gripping a broken sword.

FEATURE – The author discusses strategy, building resilient systems, and tech CEOs wanting to get rid of middle management.

Fabrice Bernhard, Sandrine Olivencia and Eivind Reke • COLUMN – In this column, three lean and tech experts respond to the same  question shaping today’s tech/AI debate. This month, following OpenAI’s hacking incident, they discuss jidoka, human oversight, cybersecurity, and responsible technological experimentation.

Captain Alexandre Gandini • INTERVIEW – A Brazilian pilot examines the parallels between aviation and Lean, explaining how the "dark cockpit" philosophy focuses a captain’s attention on abnormalities to improve problem solving and decision making. Interviewee: Captain Alexandre Gandini Interviewer: Juan Ruiz Recently, Juan joined Captain Alexandre Gandini in the cockpit during two GOL Airlines flights from São Paulo Congonhas to Florianópolis and back.

JUST SAY THE WORD - Michael Ballé explains why front-loading engineering means planning product renewal years ahead, and how Toyota's Chief Engineer role balances business, design, and technical expertise through influence, not hierarchy. Words: Michael Ballé Roberto Priolo: Front-loading engineering asks teams to invest more time learning before making decisions, but in today's world many organizations feel pressure to move as fast as they can.