New York State's "
The Lean Initiative is a public-private partnership designed to make government more efficient and responsive. Since its inception in 2011, it has had an impact on almost 400 projects across 38 state agencies and public authorities.
"Our administration is delivering on the promise to improve government service and reduce costs for taxpayers," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press release. "We have raised the bar for bringing a private-sector mentality to public-sector services, and I applaud the thousands of state workers who have helped us build a stronger, more efficient, and more effective New York State."
Lean is a process improvement tool designed to let employees redesign their own business processes to remove unnecessary steps, eliminate waste, and improve service.
The CBC prize was inaugurated in 1997 to recognize and promote successful innovations in the delivery of public services. It is given in alternating years to either a New York State or a New York City agency.
"New York State deserves this recognition for embracing and spreading its Lean Initiative," said CBC President Carol Kellermann. "Lean has yielded significant efficiencies and service improvements that benefit taxpayers, and it holds even greater promise for further expansion by state government of these impactful management techniques."
With pro bono support from corporate partners such as Toyota, Xerox, and GE, more than 600 state employees use Lean practitioners and more than 8,500 state workers have participated in Lean workshops. Streamlined operations have helped keep average agency spending growth to 1% annually.
