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The Birth of Lean
There are a lot of books that describe the Toyota Production System, but most do so in a way that implies that there was a master plan to create a company-wide improvement system. But as the pioneers in The Birth of Lean explain, there was no master plan—TPS came about through experimentation, trial and error, and an evolution of ideas that shaped Toyota’s structure and management system.
This is an honest look at the origins of Lean, written in the words of the people who created the system. Through interviews and annotated talks, you will hear first-person accounts of what these innovators and problem-solvers did and why they did it. You’ll read rare, personal commentaries that explain the interplay of (sometimes opposing) ideas that created a revolution in thinking.
In The Birth of Lean, you’ll get a glimpse inside the minds and thought processes of the system’s creators and innovators:
• Taiichi Ohno—the man who envisioned a way of working that would evolve into the Toyota Production System
• Eiji Toyoda—the former Toyota President and Chairman who oversaw the development of TPS and the inclusion of TQC at Toyota
• Kikuo Suzumura—the Toyota manager recognized as the most influential in translating Ohno’s ideas into actionable items
• Michikazu Tanaka—the manager and executive at Toyota affiliate Daihatsu who adapted TPS to his organization
• Kaneyoshi Kusunoki—the former head of Toyota’s production engineering organization who refined the buffering system in use in Toyota’s operations
• Masao Nemoto—the Toyota executive central to the deployment of TQC at Toyota
In this English translation of a previously published Japanese book, you’ll hear the words of the people who created the countermeasures that Toyota devised to address issues as they arose—countermeasures that they continue to use and adapt today. By understanding that the great minds that developed such a powerful system started with simple experiments, you’ll be encouraged to begin your own experiments and transform your organization.
This is an honest look at the origins of Lean, written in the words of the people who created the system. Through interviews and annotated talks, you will hear first-person accounts of what these innovators and problem-solvers did and why they did it. You’ll read rare, personal commentaries that explain the interplay of (sometimes opposing) ideas that created a revolution in thinking.
In The Birth of Lean, you’ll get a glimpse inside the minds and thought processes of the system’s creators and innovators:
• Taiichi Ohno—the man who envisioned a way of working that would evolve into the Toyota Production System
• Eiji Toyoda—the former Toyota President and Chairman who oversaw the development of TPS and the inclusion of TQC at Toyota
• Kikuo Suzumura—the Toyota manager recognized as the most influential in translating Ohno’s ideas into actionable items
• Michikazu Tanaka—the manager and executive at Toyota affiliate Daihatsu who adapted TPS to his organization
• Kaneyoshi Kusunoki—the former head of Toyota’s production engineering organization who refined the buffering system in use in Toyota’s operations
• Masao Nemoto—the Toyota executive central to the deployment of TQC at Toyota
In this English translation of a previously published Japanese book, you’ll hear the words of the people who created the countermeasures that Toyota devised to address issues as they arose—countermeasures that they continue to use and adapt today. By understanding that the great minds that developed such a powerful system started with simple experiments, you’ll be encouraged to begin your own experiments and transform your organization.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2009
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126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 1, 2009
“The Birth Of Lean” published by the Lean Enterprise Institute is a terrific book. This book is for people who want to gain a deeper insight into the thinking and struggles Toyota went through to develop what we call Lean.
I have been on my Lean Journey for 1.5 years. This book was perfect for someone at my stage of learning. I do not think this is a good introduction to Lean but functions as a book to help get a deeper understanding of the topics. If Lean was a college course, this would be a book for the level 300 classes.
The most powerful aspect of this book was the first person narrative from TPS & TQC pioneers such as Taiichi Ohno, Masao Nemoto, and Eiji Toyoda. I felt I was able to “get into their head” for a bit and understand their thinking and perspectives.
There are many gems in this book and different things that stood out to me.
* SCOLDING – This surprised me to see how often the speakers talk about scolding workers and showing what went wrong and why. I am not suggesting this becomes a new practice, but this really shows an approach Toyota took to creating a learning organization. Many Lean transformations strive for the feel-good approach.
* EXPERIMENTATION – Toyota just kept trying new things over and over again. They stopped the line and kept at it. They did not wait for a workshop. They practiced GAMBARE (just do it).
* TWO PILLARS – I was surprised to read that Ohno’s Toyota Production System was created almost in parallel with Nemoto’s Total Quality Control. The two systems complimented each other but were not made in conjunction. Most Lean literature has merged these two systems and call it TPS but they were independent for quite a while.
If you want to think like the pioneers of Lean, this book will let you hear directly from them. There are many nuggets inside the book that will be valuable for you.
Conflict of interest disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes.
I have been on my Lean Journey for 1.5 years. This book was perfect for someone at my stage of learning. I do not think this is a good introduction to Lean but functions as a book to help get a deeper understanding of the topics. If Lean was a college course, this would be a book for the level 300 classes.
The most powerful aspect of this book was the first person narrative from TPS & TQC pioneers such as Taiichi Ohno, Masao Nemoto, and Eiji Toyoda. I felt I was able to “get into their head” for a bit and understand their thinking and perspectives.
There are many gems in this book and different things that stood out to me.
* SCOLDING – This surprised me to see how often the speakers talk about scolding workers and showing what went wrong and why. I am not suggesting this becomes a new practice, but this really shows an approach Toyota took to creating a learning organization. Many Lean transformations strive for the feel-good approach.
* EXPERIMENTATION – Toyota just kept trying new things over and over again. They stopped the line and kept at it. They did not wait for a workshop. They practiced GAMBARE (just do it).
* TWO PILLARS – I was surprised to read that Ohno’s Toyota Production System was created almost in parallel with Nemoto’s Total Quality Control. The two systems complimented each other but were not made in conjunction. Most Lean literature has merged these two systems and call it TPS but they were independent for quite a while.
If you want to think like the pioneers of Lean, this book will let you hear directly from them. There are many nuggets inside the book that will be valuable for you.
Conflict of interest disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes.
November 14, 2025
A very short book, remarkable for what it is: an oral history of how the Toyota Production System — and therefore lean manufacturing — was ACTUALLY invented. Most descriptions of TPS describe it as if some god designed the whole thing. This book reveals that the creation process was really a multi-decade sequence of trial and error by determined folks no smarter than you or I. In so doing, it makes the system appear approachable for mere mortals. Recommended.
May 14, 2016
I really cannot understand why this book is not more popular.
In my opinion it relates to an aspect on lean management that is much too opaque in many of these books. The beginnings.
You learn a lot about the adversary and first steps along the way, the general principles that birthed the "Tools" afterwards and provides you with many anecdotes to share in your projects.
In my opinion it relates to an aspect on lean management that is much too opaque in many of these books. The beginnings.
You learn a lot about the adversary and first steps along the way, the general principles that birthed the "Tools" afterwards and provides you with many anecdotes to share in your projects.
March 15, 2015
Excellent series of interviews with many of the people involved in the development of the Toyota Production System, and in TQM. Not a good introductory book, but fascinating for people with a background in the subject.
April 30, 2017
I have really been enjoying the writings of some of the early Toyota executives and this book is no exception. The Birth Of Lean is a compilation of interviews conducted with several of the high-ranking officials at Toyota including Eiji Toyoda himself.
Even though this book is titled "The Birth of Lean" the conversations contained within really do not resemble what much of today's "Lean" looks like. So much of the focus of this book is about what problems Toyota was facing and how they had to struggle everyday to overcome. They didn't have a "toolbox" and created things as they went. They didn't have an improvement strategy, only a vision for perfection and a diligent eye on the prize.
Even though Deming is not mentioned too much in this book, other than how Toyota won the Deming Prize in 1965, you can feel his influence. Deming's very first principle of management is create constancy of purpose towards improvement. The Toyota Executives interviewed in this book certainly had that constancy of purpose in every one of their interviews. No matter what the problem was, there was an unwavering sense of urgency to correct it. And even when there seemed to be no problem, Ohno challenged his managers. As an example, one of the interviewees early in his career didn't understand Ohno's urgency with creating kanban. He was happy simply reducing or controlling inventory. He highlights his learning journey from complacency to full understanding of not just kanban, but the system.
Today you hear, too often unfortunately, how "lean is for speed and 6 sigma is for quality." Last I checked, 6 Sigma was formalized somewhere in the mid-1980's. Much of "The Birth Of Lean" discusses how TQM & TQC were critical in the formation of Toyota's quality success a full 20 years prior to 6 Sigma. In at least 2 (maybe more) interviews in this book, the interviewee discusses how TQM/TQC were paramount to the success of the Quality that is built in to Toyota Vehicles. Toyoda-san addresses the Quality Movement in both of his interviews. Although he didn't have intimate working knowledge, he saw the results and knew the system worked. He allowed Ohno, and others, manage it.
One thing that I continue to learn is how respect for people, in the early Toyota culture, is not "be nice to everyone and let them have a say". Ohno seemed to be a considerable tyrant; however, he was a greatly respected tyrant. He set high expectations for all his employees but for his management he was even tougher. One of the interviews, the interviewee told a story of how Ohno referred to him as "an idiot". I have to assume that some of the language (ie idiot) has changed, but I also have to assume that the message has not - "Improve or Die"
These interviews we're done mainly in Japanese and the translation in the book is excellent. The Editors advised early on that they had to make some changes to the sequencing of some of the interviews, but whatever they did worked as the book seems to flow very nicely. Like many of the other books chronicling the original Toyota masters, The Birth Of Lean is a book that is definitely geared for Executive Leadership or for people who are just genuinely interested in how the Toyota System was formed. This is not an entry-level book by any means; however, if you enjoy the classic writings of Shingo and Ohno, you will enjoy this book from some of Ohno's lesser-known disciples.
Even though this book is titled "The Birth of Lean" the conversations contained within really do not resemble what much of today's "Lean" looks like. So much of the focus of this book is about what problems Toyota was facing and how they had to struggle everyday to overcome. They didn't have a "toolbox" and created things as they went. They didn't have an improvement strategy, only a vision for perfection and a diligent eye on the prize.
Even though Deming is not mentioned too much in this book, other than how Toyota won the Deming Prize in 1965, you can feel his influence. Deming's very first principle of management is create constancy of purpose towards improvement. The Toyota Executives interviewed in this book certainly had that constancy of purpose in every one of their interviews. No matter what the problem was, there was an unwavering sense of urgency to correct it. And even when there seemed to be no problem, Ohno challenged his managers. As an example, one of the interviewees early in his career didn't understand Ohno's urgency with creating kanban. He was happy simply reducing or controlling inventory. He highlights his learning journey from complacency to full understanding of not just kanban, but the system.
Today you hear, too often unfortunately, how "lean is for speed and 6 sigma is for quality." Last I checked, 6 Sigma was formalized somewhere in the mid-1980's. Much of "The Birth Of Lean" discusses how TQM & TQC were critical in the formation of Toyota's quality success a full 20 years prior to 6 Sigma. In at least 2 (maybe more) interviews in this book, the interviewee discusses how TQM/TQC were paramount to the success of the Quality that is built in to Toyota Vehicles. Toyoda-san addresses the Quality Movement in both of his interviews. Although he didn't have intimate working knowledge, he saw the results and knew the system worked. He allowed Ohno, and others, manage it.
One thing that I continue to learn is how respect for people, in the early Toyota culture, is not "be nice to everyone and let them have a say". Ohno seemed to be a considerable tyrant; however, he was a greatly respected tyrant. He set high expectations for all his employees but for his management he was even tougher. One of the interviews, the interviewee told a story of how Ohno referred to him as "an idiot". I have to assume that some of the language (ie idiot) has changed, but I also have to assume that the message has not - "Improve or Die"
These interviews we're done mainly in Japanese and the translation in the book is excellent. The Editors advised early on that they had to make some changes to the sequencing of some of the interviews, but whatever they did worked as the book seems to flow very nicely. Like many of the other books chronicling the original Toyota masters, The Birth Of Lean is a book that is definitely geared for Executive Leadership or for people who are just genuinely interested in how the Toyota System was formed. This is not an entry-level book by any means; however, if you enjoy the classic writings of Shingo and Ohno, you will enjoy this book from some of Ohno's lesser-known disciples.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews