Karen Martin is a leading authority on lean management and business performance improvement and is author of the Shingo Prize-winning book "The Outstanding Organization." Her pragmatic approach to business excellence focuses on developing four fundamental organizational behaviors: clarity, focus, discipline and engagement. Once instilled into an organization’s DNA, these behaviors open the door to sustainable growth, greater profit and a deeply engaged workforce.
In business since 1993, Martin and her team have worked with clients in nearly every sector, including AT&T, Chevron, Epson, the U.S. Navy, Franklin Templeton Investments, Hallmark Cards, Intel, Mayo Clinic, Goodwill Industries, The Department of Homeland Security and GlaxoSmithKline.
Martin attributes her passion for quality, efficiency and helping businesses develop strong problem solving and critical thinking capabilities to her early career as a scientist (BS, Microbiology, Penn State University). Her belief that leadership and people development form the foundation of operational excellence led her to obtain a master’s degree in adult learning (MA, Education, California State University).
Martin is also co-author of the award-winning books "Value Stream Mapping," "The Kaizen Event Planner" and "Metrics-Based Process Mapping." She teaches at the University of California, San Diego and is an industry advisor for the University of San Diego’s industrial and systems engineering program. 
