About the Authors…

Don Kieffer

Don started working in factories at the age of 17 with a high school education. Starting as a piece-worker on a metal lathe, he eventually got his electrical engineering degree on the road to becoming vice president of manufacturing excellence at Harley-Davidson. He later was senior vice president of operations for a multinational corporation, responsible for 5,000 people globally in manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, quality, and logistics. He is an expert in Toyota methods, especially at the leadership level. As founder of the consulting company ShiftGear Work Design, Don has been consulting around the world and has taught at business schools in Moscow, Copenhagen, Luxembourg, and Zagreb. He is a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan, where he runs a two-day Executive Education course and teaches in the Executive MBA program.

Nelson Repenning

Nelson Repenning is the MIT Sloan School of Management Distinguished Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies and Associate Dean of Leadership and Special Projects. He also is a partner and chief social scientist at the consulting firm ShiftGear Work Design. Throughout his career, Nelson has focused on understanding the factors that contribute to the successful implementation, execution, and improvement of business processes. His award-winning research has been recognized by the California Management Review and the Journal of Product Innovation Management. He is also a winner of the prestigious Jay Forrester Award from the International System Dynamics Society.