Lean in SMEs vs corporates: what’s really different?

Описание: Ever felt like Lean and Operational Excellence are “for big corporates” — and that SMEs just don’t have the bandwidth for it? But that’s a myth. The real differences aren’t about whether the principles work. They’re about how the role is shaped by company size: what exists formally, what happens informally, and how quickly decisions turn into action.

In a very small organisation there often isn’t budget for a dedicated CI/OPEX specialist, so improvement has to live with the owner, supervisors, and the team. As soon as a CI/OPEX role does exist in an SME, the scope tends to be much broader. You touch end-to-end processes, training, daily operational pull, and often parts of Strategy, Improvement, and Control all at once. In larger organisations the scope is usually narrower but deeper. You specialise more, work with clearer boundaries, and the “customer story” is often far away from production teams because the organisation is more siloed.

Speed and friction shift as well. SMEs can typically change faster because decision-making sits closer to the work. Larger organisations can move quickly when leadership throws serious resources at a programme, but day-to-day change tends to be slower because of layers, governance, and coordination. On the flip side, larger organisations often have stronger data and more codified know-how, simply because they need it to manage complexity. They also have more resources for dedicated improvement waves — something that’s rarely realistic in a smaller site.

Two things are often misunderstood. First: standards. Big organisations may have more formalised standards, but SMEs still need standards just as much. The difference is that standards can often be maintained informally through close teamwork and shared habits — until team size and turnover force more formalisation. Second: the management system. No matter the company size, Operational Excellence only really works when Strategy, Improvement, and Control are in lockstep. In SMEs that alignment can be more natural because you’re closer to leadership. In larger organisations it takes more deliberate effort to connect strategy and governance back to the shop floor.

#operationalexcellence #lean #continuousimprovement
   • Lean in SMEs vs corporates: what’s really ...  

Chapters
00:00 Lean in SMEs vs corporates: what actually differs
02:00 Why the CI/OPEX role often doesn’t exist in small firms
05:40 Scope and speed: broader in SMEs, deeper in corporates
08:15 Data and resources: where big companies have an advantage
10:45 The myth about standards in SMEs
16:35 The universal requirement: Strategy, Improvement, Control

Interested in working with me?
I help SMEs and larger organisations build practical Operational Excellence systems that fit their reality — without corporate theatre and without drowning in bureaucracy. If you want Lean to work with the people and resources you actually have, you can reach me via LinkedIn or at www.tommentink.com.