What is the focus of lean management practices?

The correct focus of lean management practices is minimizing waste while maximizing productivity. Lean management is fundamentally about improving efficiency and effectiveness by eliminating waste—defined as anything that does not add value to the end customer. This includes not only physical waste, such as excess materials or defective products, but also non-physical waste, such as time spent on unnecessary processes or activities that do not contribute to customer satisfaction.

By focusing on maximizing productivity alongside the reduction of waste, lean management seeks to streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance quality. This dual focus helps organizations to be more agile and responsive to customer needs, ultimately leading to greater competitive advantage.

Other options suggest various important aspects of business management, but they do not align with the core principles of lean practices. For instance, minimizing employee productivity contradicts the goal of lean management, which is to enhance overall productivity and efficiency. Focusing solely on long-term investments or encouraging more detailed reporting does not address the immediate need to eliminate waste and improve productivity, which are central tenets of lean management.