FEATURED AUTHOR
Ken Eakin
I help business leaders develop their employees and work systems to create more value for customers– and themselves. I strive to help professionals understand and apply the principles of flow, scientific thinking, continuous improvement and respect for people, even when their work is both intangible and highly complex.
Subjects: Business & Management
Biography
Since 2014, I have been working as a Senior Advisor of Operational Excellence at Export Development Canada (EDC), a government-owned export credit agency that operates on commercial principles. I am a lean coach and advisor to leaders at all levels of EDC, including senior executives, in the areas of Insurance, Financing, Accounting, Financial Operations, Procurement, and IT. I also facilitate improvement events and teach lean concepts and methods to teams.Prior to working in the financial services industry, I worked for 13 years in the operations and customer service areas of a large global container shipping firm.
I currently teach an introductory course on lean management to MBA students at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa.
Education
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MBA, Rotman School of Management, U of Toronto, 2014
MA in Cinema Studies, UW-Madison, 1996
BA in Psychology and Cinema Studies, U of Toronto, 1993
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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I am (mostly) a working professional, not an academic, but my area of inquiry is in Lean as it applies to office/service industries. I am obsessed with finding new and better ways to translate the principles of lean manufacturing into professional office contexts. I read widely in the areas of lean, agile, systems thinking and related disciplines.
Personal Interests
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Aside from being interested in solving complex business problems, I also have an interest in the visual arts, including painting, illustration, film, photography, architecture and urban planning/design.
I like to downhill ski and play tennis. I can juggle a little. I am terrible at singing but this does not stop me singing along to the radio while in the car, much to my family's dismay.
Websites
Books
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