Last August, the Business Roundtable released its Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation, which refocuses businesses from shareholders to stakeholders. The shift is important: the 181 CEOs who signed the statement have effectively said that the business industry must create a thriving economy for all.
At the time, Johnson & Johnson’s chairman and CEO and chair of the Business Roundtable Corporate Governance Committee, Alex Gorsky said, “[The statement] affirms the essential role corporations can play in improving our society when CEOs are truly committed to meeting the needs of all stakeholders.”
Since this statement was made, the whole world has been turned on its head, and the aims outlined in the Business Roundtable’s purpose statement are even more important now.
As a nonprofit serving largely for-profit industries, AME finds itself in a unique position when we consider the Business Roundtable’s statement. AME’s role in the lean movement has always been as much about helping communities thrive as it is about lean tools. Most people interact with AME while attending our International Conference, diving deep into a topic during a regional event or webinar, completing an assessment with Lean Sensei or our highly trained assessors, or reading a thought-leadership article in Target Online. As I mentioned last week, the big picture is that all these things add up to a system that helps people, organizations, economies and communities thrive.
For all of us, the task at hand is to implement strategies and methods that help industry — and ultimately economies and communities — return stronger. AME is uniquely suited for this job. Organizations have long benefited from AME’s lean tools and the myriad thought leaders who deliver AME’s programming and content. Today, these thought leaders and our industry connections are bringing substantial benefits to our members and the industries we serve.
There are significant challenges, but we are here to help propel business improvement and a strong restart. Our vision statement speaks of “a manufacturing renaissance driven by people-centric leadership coupled with enterprise excellence.” Through partnerships with our member companies and organizations like Reshoring Initiative and Lean Frontiers, AME is helping to repair our supply chains, share best practices and improve operations so we can all return stronger.
We are humbled by the number of people and organizations who have turned to us for answers and guidance during the pandemic. Thank you for your enduring faith in AME.
We continue to offer a diverse lineup of virtual learning opportunities on a great variety of topics and using several different virtual formats. Next week alone, we have a virtual tour of Cambridge Air Solutions, our weekly coffee break idea exchange, an AME/Lean Frontiers Energize Your Journey webinar, and webinars with esteemed lean thinkers Norbert Majerus and Dr. Steven Spear. We look forward to welcoming you to these events and others on our calendar.
AME is committed to helping you weather the COVID-19 storm. We have created a survey to better understand the needs of individuals and organizations. I invite you to take 10 minutes to complete the survey now. Your input will help us focus our efforts for the benefit of every stakeholder we serve.
And as always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
