Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Complex Systems

Franz-Josef Kahlen founded his company Kahlen Global Professional Solutions in 2015, focusing on complexity management and competency development. His main research interests are in the areas of Manufacturing and Operational Excellence, Lean and Systems Engineering, Project Management, Competency Development, and the evolution of Engineering Professional Practice. Before returning to private industry, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He has extensive industry experience in printing, disk drive, biomedical, optics, healthcare service delivery, telecom and several other industries with a customer base in Asia, Europe, US, and Australia. He is author/co-author of ca. 60 publications, and is asked regularly to present keynotes and invited presentations at conferences.

Shannon Flumerfelt is a tenured Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA. She is also an Endowed Professor of Lean and the Director of Lean Thinking for Schools at The Pawley Lean Institute at Oakland University and holds a PhD in leadership. She has pioneered the CX Framework, a transformative tool that promotes lean and systems thinking applications in organizations. Dr. Flumerfelt is the founder of a lean consultancy, training/coaching and analytics firm and she has worked widely in government service and education organizations. She has published numerous scholarly and practitioner publications, including books such as, Lean Essentials for School Leaders and Lean Essentials: Transforming the Way We Do Business. She speaks and trains widely on the topics of lean, organizational development, management practices and leadership development.