Pathways to Excellence - Access and strengthen improvement as a leadership system
Overview
Most organizations today use improvement tools more effectively than they did a decade ago. Yet results still vary widely—by site, by leader, and by function. Progress is often uneven, difficult to sustain, or overly dependent on a few individuals.
The underlying challenge is rarely leadership’s intent or the absence of tools. Improvement is often treated as a set of well-intended activities carried out when time allows, rather than as a clearly defined leadership system reflected in everyday decisions and behaviors.
Join us in this intensive 2-day workshop designed for experienced improvement leaders who want to move beyond evaluating practices and begin shaping improvement as a coherent leadership system. A central focus of the workshop is making the improvement of the improvement system itself a deliberate, visible leadership practice—rather than an unspoken or incidental one.
At its core, this workshop treats improvement not as a program to manage, but as a leadership system to design, reinforce, and sustain.
- How leaders connect strategy to daily management
- How leadership behaviors reinforce—or unintentionally weaken—improvement
- How does improvement capability develop, spread, and sustain across sites
- How organizations deliberately learn to improve how they improve
Using the AME Lean Sensei® as a guiding lens, participants learn to see beyond surface activity and assess the quality of leadership thinking, decision-making, and behaviors that shape improvement over time. Rather than emphasizing compliance with standards or the presence of tools, the focus is on how the organization actually goes about the work of improvement—day after day.
Through hands-on case studies drawn from manufacturing, healthcare, software and AI development, global services, and large-scale transformations, participants strengthen their ability to:
- Recognize meaningful patterns
- Distinguish visible activity from systemic capability
- Translate assessment insight into leadership-relevant guidance
- Communicate findings in ways that build alignment
This workshop is not about adding more tools. It is about developing the judgment required to help leaders and teams strengthen their improvement system.
Host Company
Wellspan Gettysburg Hospital, As a regional leader in high-quality care, and a mission-driven, physician-led integrated health system, our team is dedicated to delivering exceptional care for all – one patient, one community, one unique health care need at a time. From supporting lifelong wellness to providing nationally recognized, advanced specialty care, to being a deeply committed community partner, we are focused on improving health across Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland. WellSpan is made of more than 23,000 dedicated team members at over 250 patient care locations, with nine respected hospitals serving Adams, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Northumberland, Snyder, Union and York counties, and a multispecialty medical group that employs over 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers.
Presenter
Michael Bremer, author & Improvement leader, is a semi-retired business executive and award-winning author, with a diverse career spanning productivity, information systems, financial leadership, and global consulting.
He began his corporate career at Beatrice Foods, serving as Director of Productivity and later Director of Information Systems. He served as Chief Financial Officer and Board Member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). Michael spent 28 years as President of The Cumberland Group, a Chicago-based global consulting firm.
Michael was also involved in education and innovation, serving as adjunct faculty at the University of Chicago’s Graham School for 15 years, and mentoring manufacturing-focused startups at mHUB Chicago, an innovation incubator.
Agenda
Tuesday, March 24 and March 25, 2026
March 24, 2026
Day One
8 am Welcome and Introductions,
8:30 a.m. Roles, responsibilities, and standard work for assessors ,
- AME definition of excellence: What language are we using
- Case study: Hands-on practice assessing using applicant documents
- Host site tour in preparation for day 2 Gemba activities
March 25, 2026
Day 2
8 am Conducting an effective site assessment, Asking the right questions,
- Quick look at AME Lean Sensei,
- Hands-on practice: Gemba walk #1, report out,
- Hands-on practice Gemba walk #2, report out,
- Developing a valuable feedback report, verbal feedback to the host site
PARTICIPANT BENEFITS
- Assess improvement effectiveness with greater clarity and consistency
- Describe what strong improvement leadership looks like across contexts
- Guide leaders toward behaviors that strengthen the improvement system
- Use the AME Lean Sensei® to complement and sharpen internal assessments
- Provide fact-based insights that support learning, alignment, and action
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Experienced senior executives seeking to strengthen their Gemba Walks, along with improvement leaders, assessors, and internal coaches working in multi-site or complex organizations who want to influence not just what improvement tools are used—but how improvement is led.
Your organization will benefit most if 2 or 3 people attend.
Safety Requirements
Participants will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement
No weapons
No Photos allowed during the gemba walks
OTHER REGISTRATION INFORMATION
We strive to host events that are inclusive and accessible to everyone to fully participate and engage. Please email events@ame.org if you have any questions.
If you are not already a member of AME, we invite you to join at this time. Membership benefits include complimentary and discounted event registrations throughout the entire year. To learn more about membership benefits, please visit here.
By participating in this event, you grant AME, or anyone authorized by AME the right to use or publish in print or electronic medium any photograph or video containing your image or likeness for educational, news, or promotional purposes, without compensation.
Cancelation Policy: This event may be canceled by AME for any reason. AME is not responsible for incidental costs incurred by registrants. For paid events, registration fee less a $20 administration fee will be refunded up to one week before the event. Substitutions may be made up to three days prior to the start of the event.
