Guest Lectures and Keynote Talks

At Shinka Management, we believe that deepening the connection between industry and academia plays a vital role in shaping tomorrow’s leaders. Drawing on decades of real-world experience in lean transformation and Japanese management practices, our directors and senior consultants are pleased to offer bespoke guest lectures and keynote presentations tailored to the needs of university courses, research seminars, conferences and professional forums.

Our talks are designed to be engaging, practical, and visually rich. We incorporate a wide range of real-life case studies, photographs, and video footage taken from our work with clients around the globe and from visits to leading Japanese companies. These examples help bring Japanese management concepts to life and illustrate how theory is applied in practice across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and services.

We keep our presentations upbeat and interactive, encouraging audience participation through discussion, Q&A, and reflection. Whether delivered onsite or online, each session is structured to spark curiosity, promote dialogue, and leave participants with actionable insights they can take away and apply.

Guest Lecture Topics

Shinka Management specialises in Japanese management practices, and can deliver guest lectures and keynote talks on related topics, in English, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and German languages. Two of our most requested topics are as follows:

Introduction to Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen

In this guest lecture we provide an introductory understanding of Japanese operations management practices, together with photo and video examples from Japanese and international organizations. Depending on the audience, a focus can be placed on manufacturing, service, lean healthcare, logistics or other fields.

Introduction to Japanese Business Etiquette

This topic provides participants with the cultural understanding and practical skills needed to build strong working relationships with Japanese counterparts. The lecture covers key aspects of Japanese business culture, including communication styles, meeting protocol, gift-giving, and the subtleties of respectful interaction, helping participants navigate cross-cultural engagements with confidence. For further details of the content covered, see Japanese Business Etiquette.

Past University and Industry Association Engagements

Our team has supported several universities, associations and industry conferences, including:

Universities, Academic and Government Bodies

University of Adelaide, Australia
Carnegie Mellon University Australia, Australia
University of Maryland, United States
University College Dublin, Ireland
Universidad Central, Chile
Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile
Department of State Development, South Australia, Australia
The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Associations & Research Centres

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Japan
The CEO Institute, Australia
FloridaMakes, United States
SIRF Roundtables, Australia

Industry Conferences

AgileAus Conference, Australia
Global Lean Summit, United States
Manufacturing Operational Excellence, Australia

Relevant Bodies and Academic Departments

Associations focused on Manufacturing, Operational Excellence or Improvement Culture
Universities delivering MBA and Post-Doctoral Business Programs
University departments specialising in areas such as Manufacturing, Operations Management, Asian Studies or Japanese Business Culture

Delivery Options & Policies

Format:

Live online (ideal for global or geographically dispersed audiences, or to avoid the need for travel by the speaker)
Live onsite (preferred for hands-on workshops, large conferences or where travel by the speaker is minimal)

Recording:

Recording is generally not permitted unless expressly agreed in advance.

Logistics:

Hosting arrangements and any speaker travel or disbursements to be covered by the inviting organisation.

Payment

Typically we do not charge for one-off or annual guest lectures for academic bodies or industry association events
Payment may be requested for keynote talks delivered for training events or conferences that charge a fee for participation

Next Steps

Please contact Paul Smith, Director, through the form below to discuss your needs or schedule an online meeting.

In your request, please provide a brief overview of your organization, event/course focus, and participants – and if there is a preference for online versus on-site delivery.