Our Purpose:
We exist to make work improvement better for everyone.
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We bring together improvement organizations to achieve collective impact that would be difficult or impossible to accomplish independently.
Our Values:
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Include Everyone: Welcome diverse viewpoints from all levels, backgrounds, and methodologies
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Work Together: Open discussions, sharing successes and struggles, building trust through vulnerability
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Make Real Change: Try new things, reflect on results, constantly improve our own practices
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Always Learn: Apply continuous improvement principles to our own operations
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Practice What We Preach: Apply continuous improvement principles to our own operations
What We Mean by Work Improvement:
The practice and discipline of making work more effective, more humane, and more sustainable.
THE FUTURE
of PEOPLE
at WORK
How We Create Collective Impact
Conversations → Insights → Action
Create opportunities to connect through gatherings and conversations
Enable initiative teams focused on specific challenges where synergy exists
Capture and share knowledge by transforming conversations into accessible content for wider audience
Experiment with tools and methods, sharing what works across the community
Connect different improvement communities, looking for common ground and mutual benefit
Our Leaders
Eric Olsen
Dr. Eric Olsen leads two major improvement initiatives as Director of Central Coast Lean and co-lead of the Future of People at Work (FPW). Through these roles, he focuses on building and studying communities of practice that advance operational excellence and workplace improvement. Central Coast Lean, a research project under Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business, promotes collaborative learning through improvement events, forums, workshops, and conferences. The FPW initiative unites seven leading improvement organizations to shape the future of work through integrated approaches and shared learning.Drawing on his experience as a Professor in Industrial Technology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and over 20 years in industry management roles at companies including Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard, Dr. Olsen brings both academic rigor and practical experience to building improvement communities. His work spans teaching, research, and hands-on facilitation of improvement initiatives, with a particular focus on developing sustainable communities of practice.
Rachel Reuter
Rachel Reuter has over 20 years of experience helping organizational leaders establish and execute business priorities aligned with Lean thinking. She has studied the barriers and strategies of implementing Lean in administrative areas, including her recent work on Lean Paradoxes. Rachel worked at Toyota for over three decades, holding various positions from staff to executive in production, quality, R&D, and administrative areas. She spent three years at Toyota’s Supplier Support Center, working closely with 12 organizations on implementing the Toyota Production System. She also spent five years at Toyoda Gosei North America, focusing on sales, production planning, leadership development, and TPS implementation. After retiring from Toyota in 2024, Rachel continues her Lean journey through work at the Future of People at Work (FPWork), LEI, and R2 Transformation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hiram College, a Master of Science in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.
