Summary

In this conversation, Nadja and I explored several key themes:

The Schaeffler Production System – How one of Germany's largest automotive suppliers

approaches operational excellence and standardized work across a global manufacturing

footprint.

Lean Fundamentals – What lean really means in practice, beyond the buzzwords—and why

the philosophy matters more than the tools.

From Military Officer to Lean Leader – How Nadja's experience in the German Armed

Forces shaped her leadership style, her comfort with structure and standards, and her ability

to train and motivate large teams.

Engaging the Shop Floor – Practical approaches to getting factory floor workers genuinely

involved in evolutionary change and continuous improvement, rather than having

improvement "done to them."

Leading Without Taking Away Responsibility – Perhaps the most nuanced topic we

covered: how leaders can guide, support, and develop their teams without inadvertently

disempowering them or creating dependency. It's about building capability, not just

compliance.

Nadja Böhlmann:

Nadja Böhlmann is Director of the Schaeffler Production System at Schaeffler, the global

automotive and industrial supplier. Her career path is anything but conventional—she started

as an officer in the German Armed Forces before transitioning into the world of lean and

continuous improvement.

Her military background gave her deep expertise in training, leadership, and building

structured systems that work. After leaving the Bundeswehr, she gained experience across

diverse industries including construction, healthcare, food production, and automotive

(notably at Porsche Leipzig). She also served as Global Head of Kaizen at Teknos, an

international coating manufacturer, where she built a Kaizen culture from scratch including

training programs and eLearning systems.

Nadja holds a Master of Science from Danube University Krems and has published research

on the often-overlooked role of middle managers in sustaining lean transformations. She

describes herself as a "European Lean Citizen" and is passionate about creating organizations

where processes flow, people thrive, and improvement becomes second nature.Nadja holds a Master of Science from Danube University Krems and has published research

on the often-overlooked role of middle managers in sustaining lean transformations. She

describes herself as a "European Lean Citizen" and is passionate about creating organizations

where processes flow, people thrive, and improvement becomes second nature.

Nadjas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadja-b%C3%B6hlmann/

More Info on the Schaeffler Production System: https://www.schaeffler.com/de/

medien/storys/storys-technologie-system/produktion-in-perfektion/

Stellar Work:

Here is the Stellar Work Newsletter: https://substack.com/@stellarwork

Check out www.stellarwork.com for more information about how evolutionary agile

transformations work

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