This page summarizes the research that I have been engaged in since 2007 to unravel the most important question that we have all had for many years: Why do leaders resist or reject Lean management?
Read the three books in the order shown above, staring with The Triumph of Classical Management (US$40 total investment, print or e-book), and finally the research paper to clearly understand what you are up against. They will answer all your questions. You must know this information so that you are aware of the hazards in interacting with top leaders and do not become a victim, and so you can figure out new and better ways to advance Lean management in your organization. As a Lean advocate, it is imperative that you understand the “institution of leadership,” how leaders think and why they do what they do (the “lay of the land”), and the eight categories of archaic preconceptions that have entrenched classical management. Click on the links below to learn more about each item.
Irrational Institutions: Business, Its Leaders, and The Lean Movement
Management Mysterium: The Quest for Progress
Once you understand these works, you can move on to the next important question: How to get leaders to accept progressive Lean management.
Finally, you may also be interested in the short research paper below. It examines how the Lean movement was transformed through status-seeking via the individual accumulation of knowledge wealth.
“The Transformation of Lean: A Social Theory of the Lean Movement“
I invite you to share your thoughts with me.