Key Responses About the Book Series

“Culture by Design, Power by Discipline”**

1. What’s the purpose of the book series?

The purpose of this book series is to give leaders a repeatable, operational blueprint for shaping culture—not through slogans, posters, or performative townhalls, but through intentional behaviors, power-aware systems, and disciplined leadership routines.

The series teaches that:

Culture is not an accident; it is engineered through systems and reinforced through how leaders show up every day.
Power dynamics drive behavior—whether leaders acknowledge it or not.
Disciplined Management Operating Systems (MOS) are the infrastructure that brings values to life.

Ultimately, the series exists to close the gap between what leaders say and what organizations actually do, by providing a practical, evidence-based playbook that blends continuous improvement, organizational psychology, and leadership systems design.

2. If I’m a business leader, how does this series help me change company culture?

This series gives leaders the step-by-step mechanisms for culture transformation—something most leadership books avoid.

As a leader, you will learn how to:

A. Convert Culture from an Idea to a System

Using MOS principles, you will implement:

Daily shift meetings
KPI visibility systems
Cadenced leadership standard work
Short-interval control
Accountability mechanisms
Feedback loops

These are the behavior-shaping mechanisms that make culture sustainable.

B. Understand and Use Power Responsibly

Drawing on The 48 Laws of Power, the series helps leaders:

Recognize informal power networks
Understand influence patterns
Navigate resistance and organizational politics
Use power ethically as a force multiplier

C. Apply Established Change-Management Science

The series aligns with:

Senge’s learning organization and systems thinking
Lewin’s unfreeze → change → refreeze model
Kotter’s 8-step transformation framework
Kanter’s innovation-centered change theories
Conner’s human response to change

Leaders receive practical playbooks, not theories alone.

D. Transform Culture Through Daily Discipline

You’ll have tools to:

Change the rituals that drive behavior
Create clarity in expectations
Reduce variability
Hold teams accountable in a fair and consistent way
Build trust through alignment between words and actions

This series turns culture change from an abstract aspiration into a leader-led, system-reinforced reality.

3. What industries can benefit from this book series?

Although rooted in manufacturing and operations, the principles apply to any industry where alignment, execution, and leadership behavior matter.

Primary Beneficiaries:

Manufacturing (Food, CPG, Automotive, Pharma, Plastics, Battery, Electronics)
Supply Chain, Logistics, Distribution
Energy & Utilities
Healthcare Operations (Hospitals, Clinics, Lab Operations)
Hospitality & Retail
Government operations and public-sector agencies
Tech companies scaling operational discipline
Private Equity portfolio companies (especially turnaround or scale-up)

Why it applies so broadly:

Every organization relies on:

People
Systems
Behavior
Accountability
Alignment
Leadership discipline

The series teaches leaders to synchronize these elements, regardless of industry.

4. Who is the intended demographic for this book series?

Primary Audiences

Senior Leaders: CEOs, EVPs, VPs of Operations, HR Executives
Mid-Level Leaders: Directors, Sr. Managers, Plant Managers, Business Unit Leaders
Frontline Leaders: Shift Leads, Supervisors, Cell Managers
Continuous Improvement Professionals: Lean Six Sigma practitioners, MOS developers
Management Consultants: Internal or external advisors responsible for change

Secondary Audiences

Business Students
Emerging Professional Leaders
Private Equity operating partners
Organizational development teams
Innovation teams looking to anchor culture in systems

This series is for anyone responsible for shaping human behavior inside a system.

5. Which universities should consider using this series in their business curriculum?

Top 15 Ideal Programs

Universities with strong programs in operations, leadership, organizational behavior, or systems engineering:

Harvard Business School
MIT Sloan School of Management
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern)
University of Michigan – Ross School of Business
Georgia Tech – College of Engineering & Scheller College of Business
Purdue University – Krannert School of Management
Ohio State – Fisher College of Business
Carnegie Mellon – Tepper School of Business
Wharton School at UPenn
Dartmouth – Tuck School of Business
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
Washington University in St. Louis – Olin Business School
Virginia Tech – Engineering & Business Leadership Programs
University of Tennessee – Supply Chain & Operations Excellence Programs

Why these institutions?

Your series blends:

systems thinking (Senge)
behavior-based leadership
organizational power dynamics
continuous improvement
high-reliability operations
change management disciplines

These are the foundations of top-tier MBA, Engineering Management, and Organizational Leadership programs.

6. Why is Lenier Johnson providing these insights? What’s his background?

Lenier Johnson brings 30+ years of experience transforming manufacturing plants, supply-chain organizations, and operations-heavy companies across the U.S. He is recognized for:

A. Deep Operational Expertise

BS in Engineering studies at University of Missouri at Rolla
MBA in Production & Operations studies at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Doctoral in Engineering Management studies at University of Minnesota - Walden Expansion Program
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Architect of Management Operating Systems in multiple industries

B. Leadership in Complex Environments

Lenier has worked with:

Major CPG companies
Food manufacturing plants
Industrial operations
High-variability, high-risk production lines
Fortune 500 environments
Turnaround operations
Private equity-backed facilities

C. Author & Thought Leader

Author of Shift Happens: How to Lead with Purpose and Discipline Every Day
Author of Culture by Design, Power by Discipline – Volumes 1 & 2
Creator of two globally streamed podcasts:

The Continuous Improvement Lab
The Systems Thinker Show

Listened to in 40+ countries

D. Recognized Advisor & Speaker

He has:

Built Leadership Standard Work for executives to operators
Designed MOS frameworks used across industries
Led multi-million-dollar transformations
Mentored leaders for decades

E. Why He Wrote This Series

Lenier has seen the same pattern across hundreds of leaders and dozens of companies:

Culture fails when it is not engineered.
Culture collapses when power is ignored.
Culture thrives when discipline is consistent.

He wrote this series to give leaders the architecture, the tools, and the behaviors to finally make culture transformation stick.