Challenging Our Deeply Held Beliefs

The main reason we are still talking and learning about lean thirty years after the term was coined in Krafcik’s paper (1988) and popularised by Womack, Jones and Roos (1990), is that it is that lean is both common sense and counterintuitive. It requires us to challenge many of our assumptions and change our ways as a result. You often hear this referred to as ‘mindset’ change.

With practice challenging our own assumptions becomes addictive and part of our systematic and scientific approach to problem-solving. For those challenge junkies out there, take a look at the frantically animated film that questions our deeply held beliefs about what motivates us and others. It offers compelling evidence that we all need to rethink the basic beliefs that underpin our recognition and reward systems. I promise that you will be challenged and I welcome any comments.

References

J. Krafcik,1988, The Triumph of the Lean Production System, Sloan Management Review 301, pp. 41-52

J. Womack, D. Jones and D. Roos, 1990, The Machine That Changed The World, Rawson Associates, NY