Manufacturing is about processes, materials, systems and competitive strategy. It is also about people, how they perform and how they are led. Most research on manufacturing has been conducted on processes, materials and systems. The time has come to devote more attention to people and competitive strategy. With the persistent, chronic public perception of manufacturing as a smoky, dirty, dimly lighted 19th Century factory, we need to highlight and emphasize the positive, societal benefits that manufacturing brings in order to attract more young talent to manufacturing and bring more manufacturing back to the US. A new kind of leadership is needed. This paper discusses a course in leadership development in a graduate manufacturing program for working adults. It contains results based on interviews with alumni that demonstrate the power of this process and the new competitive capabilities enjoyed by the companies at which these alumni are employed.
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