The Confucian roots of Lean

Toyota is in the middle of the Confucian influence area

Taiichi Ohno and Confucianism

Confucianism• The core Confucian belief is that human beings are:• Teachable• Improvable• Perfectible• Through personal and communal endeavor especially including self-

cultivation and self-creation

What does this mean for Lean?• Perfection of the product (maximize customer value)• Perfection of the process (eliminate waste)• Perfection of the individual (respect people)

Can it work in the West?

The idea of perfection is no stranger to Western thought, but is it out of favor in the West?

Locke

Kant

Mill

Conclusions• Most Lean implementations in the West have failed• Most Lean implementations in the West have been attempts to

implement it as a toolkit, not as a management philosophy• Understanding the roots of Lean helps in implementing it correctly