Thinking around lean is going through a metamorphous that builds on that fundamental insight. As we know Toyota is the original model for lean and there have been many interpretations (and misinterpretations) of what Toyota does to be excellent. In Toyota Kata author Mike Rother has a different interpretation than many lean programs that view their goal as waste elimination. In fact it is consistent with my work on lean leadership, but goes farther in creating a defined methodology that can be learned in steps.
Operations that are not operating at a high level of lean typically are lacking underlying process discipline, which leads to these problems and they proliferate daily as the company is in a constant firefighting mode. Trying to eliminate waste in the current system and culture is like identifying and fighting problems—it is debilitating and a losing proposition.
See full story on industryweek.com