Too Lean: Too Mean
Jan 23, 2026
Too Lean: Too Mean
Jan 23, 2026

Is Lean Management Starving your Business?

Lean management is purported to be the most clean, efficient business practise: minimising outgoings while maximising profit.

What if, instead of maximising your resources, lean management is starving your innovation, quality, customer service and team motivation… and putting your reputation on the line?

Could lean management be extinguishing the furnace that drives your business for good?

Starving Innovation

  • With team members stretched to their limit, do they have time to think creatively or just reactively?
  • The economy is changing: are you too ‘lean’ to adapt?

Starving Quality

  • Is your workforce too pressured to notice detail?
  • Have you avoided upgrading resources due to cost?  It can often more expensive to fix problems repeatedly than to replace hardware or applications.

Starving Customers

  • Lack of investment into innovation and quality has immediate effect on your most vital resources: your customers.  Are you feeding them enough to keep them coming back or will they look for pastures new?
  • Have you got the resources to continually research your market, ensuring your competitors don’t pip you to the post with new ideas?

Starving Profits

  • With business picking up have you got the resources to look at the finer financial details of all your departments?
  • Investment in an excellent Business Analyst can save you thousands on hidden losses and boost growth without cutting down in the areas that matter.

Starving Talent

  • Quality candidates currently have their pick of exciting opportunities.  Will they be attracted to a ‘too lean’ environment?
  • There are many exciting, new opportunities currently available in the IT industry, will you be able to keep your best people?

Heading for burnout

  • Are your existing team members too stretched to enjoy their jobs?
  • Are they demotivated and headed for burnout?

People are the Fuel of your Business

  • Growth is happening.  Can your IT Department cope with the increased pressure of demand?
  • Does sickness and absence further stretch your resources and demoralise your team?
  • Could fattening up your staffing levels boost motivation, innovation, quality and profits?

We Can Help
Here at Langley James we know how to find the most talented, vibrant IT professionals available, from Web Developers to IT Managers, Business Analysts and everyone in-between.  Whatever your requirements, permanent or contract, and up to the highest level of seniority, we can match you with the ideal candidate to help your business grow.

To discuss your IT recruitment needs please call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com.  We’d love you to join in the conversation.

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