Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work Awarded the Shingo Publication Award
March 27, 2026 – the Shingo Institute
LOGAN, Utah—March 27, 2026—The Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, is pleased to announce that Darren Walsh has been awarded the Shingo Publication Award for his influential book Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work. This award recognizes publications that make a significant contribution to the advancement and practical application of organizational excellence.
Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work offers a practical and deeply insightful roadmap for leaders seeking to strengthen consistency, elevate performance, and achieve meaningful results through Lean and continuous improvement. Drawing on more than 25 years of industry experience across automotive, aerospace, medical devices, energy, and financial services, Walsh distills the core reasons organizations struggle to sustain improvement and offers clear, actionable solutions grounded in real-world examples and case studies. In addition, Walsh provides a comprehensive guide to building foundations that enable Lean to truly work, showing managers and frontline supervisors how to increase consistency, solve problems quickly, and deliver more value in less time. The book illuminates common pitfalls organizations encounter and provides practical methods for overcoming them, creating long-term cultural and operational transformation.
“Darren Walsh’s work reflects the essence of the Shingo Guiding Principles,” said Ken Snyder, Executive Director of the Shingo Institute. “Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work’s combination of depth, practicality, and real-world insight makes it an essential resource for leaders committed to operational excellence.”
Across industry sectors, thought leaders are calling Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work an indispensable guide for anyone serious about achieving sustainable, principle-driven improvement:
For those committed to enhance their organization's efficiency via Lean and continuous improvement, this book is essential. It presents methodologies that will empower your organization to accomplish more in less time.
Rodger Hooker, Managing Director
Optime Subsea, a Halliburton service
This has been a game changer, and it has led to significant improvements and results across the board. Darren has always been the "go to" for advice on how to approach Daily Management, his book has now codified this knowledge into an invaluable guide. Essential reading for Management and Practitioners alike.
Paul Whyte, Director, Digital Systems & Value Streams
Advanced Operations, Stryker
In his book Making Lean Work, Darren Walsh fills a critical gap that exists among the vast publications in Lean principles. Darren's focus on leadership routines to drive business improvement is fundamental to the sustained implementation of any Lean transformation. This is a must-read for leaders who have all of the tools yet still struggle to implement continuous improvement initiatives in their organizations.
Robert Sealy, Vice President of Service, Asia Pacific
Vestas Energy
Lean and continuous improvement is not new, although there are many textbooks explaining the theory and principle, implementation is always a challenge. Darren offers a real-life insight on how to turn lean terminologies into measurable success, guiding leaders to execute the lean principle daily to drive sustainable result, and creating a problem-solving organization!
Nadine Cheung, FPS Global Quality Director
Baker Hughes
Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work fundamentally focuses on the main reason Lean fails to be sustained in businesses […] leadership routines to support the teams delivering the improvement projects!
Stuart Lawson, Global Head of Manufacturing.
Hanley Energy Group – A Jabil Company
For both Managers and Lean Specialists, Making Lean Work is a practical & hands-on way of how to bridge continuous improvement pitfalls & gaps and making Lean Management stick within your company.
Michael Vellinga, Global Operational Excellence Director
DLL Financial Services
Darren made me think on how to transform myself before changing my peers and teams through Lean. With a scientific approach and the support of Darren's insights, you will just improve.
Neary Tek, Director Subsea Services
Business Performance, TechnipFMC
Darren provides a powerful message to all who seek process excellence, one that will provide the step-by-step tactics and tools to accomplish real improvement results. This book can make a huge difference in your value stream and problem-solving capability.
Frederic Schnider, Vice President
Technical, Strategy & Transformation
Qatar Airways
The Shingo Publication Award, one of the most respected honors in the field of organizational excellence, recognizes authors whose work meaningfully advances leadership and cultural transformation worldwide. Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work exemplifies this standard. By equipping leaders with practical, experience-based guidance for strengthening consistency, enabling effective problem solving, and building the foundations for sustainable improvement, Darren Walsh contributes significantly to the global dialogue on creating principle-based cultures that truly make Lean work.
The author will be formally presented with the award at the Shingo Connect Awards Gala in Warsaw, Poland on December 3-4, 2026. Shingo Connect includes workshops, site tours, keynotes, and sessions focused on achieving organizational excellence. Learn more at shingo.org/events. To purchase a copy of Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work or other Shingo publications, visit https://shingo.org/books.
About the Author
Darren Walsh is Director & Leadership Coach at Making Lean Work Ltd. A leading management consultant specializing in helping business leaders unlock the transformative power of continuous improvement, Darren has over 25 years of experience, working with some of the best in automotive, aerospace, medical devices, energy and financial services, and his insights have been featured in industry-leading publications and conferences. Darren holds a master's degree from Lean Enterprise Research Centre.
About the Shingo Institute
The Shingo Institute is home to the Shingo Prize, an award recognizing organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture fostering continuous improvement. Part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota adviser Shigeo Shingo, one of the world's thought leaders in the Toyota Production System.
Drawing from Dr. Shingo’s teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model, the basis for its various educational offerings, including workshops, study tours, and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute's Licensed Affiliates. For more information on workshops and affiliates or to register to attend an event, please visit https://shingo.org.
Shingo Media Contact
Mary Price, Events and Marketing Director
Shingo Institute
Phone: +1.435.760.0711
Email: [email protected]