EVENT LAUNCH - Save the date! The Lean Global Connection 2024 will take place on November 21 and 22. In this article, our editor introduces the event's theme and tells us what attendees can expect from the largest online lean event in the world.

Words: Roberto Priolo

In just over 110 days, the global lean community will come together for the fourth edition of the Lean Global Connection. Over the past four years, the LGC has become one of the most anticipated lean events of the year, attracting thousands of practitioners from over 120 countries.

This year, we have decided to explore the role Lean Thinking can play in our changing world. In particular, we will focus on the greatest gift Lean can give us: adaptiveness.

The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. Words like “deglobalization” are being used more and more, reflecting an increasingly complex and multipolar reality, in which countries are looking to “de-risk” by minimizing global interdependencies. A new Cold War seems to be setting in, weakening already compromised supply chains and forcing companies to come up with new and clever ways to move goods, while a new arms race is heralding change for many economies. At the same time, the spread of generative AI promises to transform the labor market as we know it, with unpredictable consequences. You may think this has nothing to do with you but make no mistake… these historic changes will impact the way your organization operates.

To thrive, businesses will need to understand the world they are in, be curious and willing to experiment, while coming up with solid long-term strategies. Leaders will have to do their part, of course, ensuring that continuous learning permeates their organizations and that the right skills are developed.

This year’s Lean Global Connection will help you to make sense of a messy, changing world, by bringing you the stories of adaptiveness of those organizations that are leveraging creativity and lean to find their way forward. We’ll hear from countless organizations, as well as from experts in geopolitics, the future of work, AI, and more.

MEET SMED

Some people have called the Lean Global Connection “the Olympics of Lean”, and this inspired us to do something we have never done before: having our own mascot! The Olympic Games are being celebrated in Paris right now, and if they can have a mascot, why can't we?!

Everyone, meet Smed the Chameleon! What better creature to represent adaptiveness than one that can change color to adapt to the environment around it? Smed will help us with the promotion of the event and play a role during the LGC itself. It’s fair to say you’ll see a lot of Smed in the coming weeks!

THE EVENT’S FORMAT

At the Lean Global Network, our mission is to spread Lean Thinking and Practice around the world, and we see the Lean Global Connection as a fundamental tool to do that. That's why the LGC will be once again entirely free of charge! We'll also keep the same 24-hour format, starting at 2PM UTC on November 21st, 2024.

Like in previous years, we will have multiple tracks offering content, meaning that you’ll be able to choose between 2 or 3 presentations for most of the event’s duration. We’ll also have panel discussions and the quiz, always an attendee’s favorite. Additionally, there will be a couple of new formats we’ll tell you more about in the coming weeks.

Last year, people spent on average 4.5 hours watching the event. Let’s try and beat that! And, please, help us spread the word about the Lean Global Connection. The more we are, the more we’ll contribute to the spread of Lean around the world.

More information on the event and the confirmed speakers (with MANY more to come) is available here. To register, this is where you'll want to go.

We are very excited about this year's event, and we hope to see you all on November 21 and 22!

_THE AUTHOR