In an ever-changing world, it is often said that those who can make decisions faster have an advantage. However, Ján Košturiak points out that speed alone is not enough. “ It’s not just about decisions being fast, but also correct.”
He recalls his own experience from production system simulations, where decisions were slow not because people hesitated, but because technology did not allow for enough experiments. Often, we also lack all the necessary information to make the right decision.
In a fast-paced world, making quick decisions is not an advantage
Decision-making speed makes sense when evaluating opportunities, resolving process abnormalities, or responding to customer requests. However, Košturiak openly states that even in a fast-paced world, making quick decisions is not an advantage when choosing a life partner, university studies, or a profession.
This is precisely where a different approach, typical of Japanese culture, makes sense. Initially, decisions are made slowly, a vision and concept are created, various contexts are considered, and consensus is sought.
“Slow decision-making at the beginning then allows for a smooth and fast project progression in its subsequent stages.”
Speed and efficiency do not have to be at odds
The question of whether one can be fast without sacrificing quality has a different answer today than decades ago. Košturiak recalls that in the seventies, quality was at odds with speed because it was primarily addressed through control. Today, quality is inherent in the process. Fault tolerance, stability, and standards become a source of efficiency.
The difference in terms is also interesting. The word “effective” means achieving the desired result, while “efficient” means achieving it with minimal time, resources, money, and effort.
The problem arises when companies try to maximize the utilization of all machines. This contradicts both speed and short production lead times.
The Theory of Constraints states clearly: only the system’s constraint, the bottleneck, should be maximally utilized, and other machines should work only as fast as the bottleneck requires. That is why there are two fundamentally different approaches to flow management. A push approach focused on resource utilization increases inventory and waiting times, while a pull approach shortens lead times and increases speed where it truly matters.
When Less Truly Means More
The idea that “less is more” is not a theory, but the daily reality of companies. Košturiak says he sees these situations in businesses every day.
Reducing the number of tasks limits multitasking. Focusing on fewer projects and goals leads to better execution and completion.
A simpler product structure facilitates both logistics and production. Fewer people in a meeting increases its efficiency. Limiting interfaces between processes reduces waste and, along with a lower volume of documents, meetings, emails, or directives, helps eliminate bureaucracy. The result is not chaos, but greater clarity and higher performance.
When it’s right to slow down
There are situations when it’s better to go against the current and slow down, even when everyone else is rushing. Košturiak says we experience this during pre-Christmas shopping, but also in life in general, when people chase unnecessary things and can’t enjoy what they have.
His generation of entrepreneurs often regrets today that they chased work more than they spent time with their children. Many pursue power, fame, and money, only to eventually realize they have lost much more important things.
“Rushing and stress are often a manifestation of the inability to distinguish truly important things in life and dedicate oneself to them.”
Less Work, Better Results
If Košturiak were to recommend one lesson to managers, it wouldn’t be about working more, but quite the opposite. “When one works less, they achieve better results.” He doesn’t mean extremes, but points out people who worked ten to twelve hours a day, seven days a week, and it didn’t get them anywhere.
Setting a limited time for work, for example, eight hours a day and four days a week, forces people to better prioritize, not waste time on unimportant things, delegate, and collaborate. At the same time, they focus on the real constraints that hinder better results. Time outside of work then allows for rest, sports, learning, and gaining new energy.
Time is crucial. And there isn’t an infinite amount of it
Lukáš Richter explains the principles of Lean and Quick Response Manufacturing through situations everyone knows. A CT scan appointment in four months, a thirty-day land registry entry, a building permit taking longer than the construction itself, a yellow slip in the mailbox, a manager responding after two weeks, or a series of meetings without output.
However, he then shows the other side of reality. There are companies that can develop a new car model in a year and a half, bring luxury jewelry to market in a hundred days, produce a custom engine with a gearbox in a few days, or deliver a sample to a customer within a week. “Time is crucial.”
According to Richter, we live in a VUCA world, which is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. In such an environment, speed and time become critical sources of competitive advantage and the very survival of companies.
Lean and QRM are not about pressuring people
According to Richter, both Lean and QRM have a lot in common. They are focused on increasing customer value, flow continuity, and respect for people and their development. A high degree of true freedom is also often present in QRM.
The problem is not these approaches themselves, but the myths that have arisen around them. In our country, Lean is often perceived as a tool for saving money and “exploiting” people, which, according to Richter, is completely wrong. The solution is to talk about the right path, show it, and most importantly, live by it, each in their sphere of influence, whether as a lecturer, manager, or production worker.
A strong inspiration for him was also the Japanese approach to office and engineering management, which is not based on managing people, but on managing work. Emphasis is placed on continuous flow, short lead times, and rapid feedback. In the West, we have taken fragments of this approach in the form of Agile or Scrum, but it is still only a small part of the whole picture.
Speed as an Opportunity for Local Businesses
When working with Slovak companies, Richter sees that we are being overwhelmed by competition from Asia and innovations from the USA, while we often remain passive. However, he perceives speed and time as an opportunity for local businesses to survive and develop. We have many top-tier companies that have not yet fully realized this strategic advantage or do not know how to implement it in practice.
As an example, he cites a French company, a reference for QRM, which is a true high-tech manufacturer from the Industry 4.0 environment. It managed to connect digitalization, automation, traditional Lean, and QRM not only in processes but also in people’s education.
They handled most solutions internally, kept know-how within the company, and did not lay off people, but moved them to new projects or to office teams focused on company management and development. According to Richter, this is a healthy path for our businesses as well.
Time Reduction as a Practical Strategy
Richter has recently been intensively focused on shortening customer lead times, from order to delivery. He relies on the Quick Response Manufacturing methodology, where the goal is often to reduce time by fifty to eighty percent. “A long lead time is like a magnet for costs,” he says, adding that shortening processes often brings savings in unexpected places.
In one company, for example, external accounting costs decreased simply because increased efficiency reduced the number of documents. However, he also points out that not everything needs to be extremely fast. Sometimes it’s enough to select one critical process and leave the others unchanged for now. The correct selection of a Focused Target Market Segment can bring a quick and visible effect.
Simplification as a Mental Exercise
Richter also brought Lean principles home. For years, he has tried to improve at least one small thing every day. Today, it’s a habit for him that doesn’t require much time or money.
Most improvements aim at simplification, better organization, and 5S in the household. He himself says it’s a mental exercise that helps simplify the complex life and world around us.
Speed and Time as a Topic Worth Understanding in Depth
Speed is not about reckless acceleration. It’s about understanding time as a resource, finding the right pace, and the ability to distinguish where speed makes sense and where it’s better to slow down.
Lukáš and Ján will speak precisely on this topic at the INOVATO seminar “Speed and Time – A Source of Competitive Advantage in Uncertain Times,” which will take place on February 5, 2026, at the KIA Training Center in Gbeľany near Žilina.
Participants will learn how time functions as a strategic factor, how to shorten lead times, reduce waste, and increase company adaptability. The seminar is intended for owners and CEOs of small and medium-sized businesses, production directors, Lean/QRM specialists, and managers who want to react faster than the competition while also improving the quality of their processes. More information about the seminar →
TEXT: Natália Stašíková
PHOTO: INOVATO
