During my journey in manufacturing in Egypt from small local workshops to multinational plants, I have seen two patterns
- Those who say we are lean and they really believe that they are while they are stuck in firefighting mode.
- Those who say that it is just a myth , it is not for us or it is just a trend
Let me share 4 mistakes that I see over and over again
Treating lean as a Tool box , not a system or a culture.
One of the most common misconceptions I’ve encountered is treating lean as a toolbox, rather than a holistic system or culture.
Lean isn’t just a set of tools; it’s a philosophy, a mindset. a system that Toyota used to run its operations during extremely challenging circumstances, before it became known as the “lean manufacturing system” after being adopted and marketed in the West. it was never intended to be a mere collection of methods and techniques, it’s a way of thinking, a complete approach to how a company operates at every level.
Too many companies(honestly not only in Egypt) apply only parts of the system, like Kanban or, and declare themselves lean, even though their entire system is still full of waste. They might have adopted one or two tools, but they’re missing the bigger picture.
On the other hand, I’ve seen companies decide to implement only parts of lean they think are “easy” or that they feel comfortable with. When they don’t achieve results, they conclude that lean is just a myth, something that doesn’t work for them.
Blaming people
If you have ever worked in a place where success is a team effort and when an issue happens it is your own fault , welcome to the club !!
But don’t believe them if you heard them say they are lean
Lean is about empowering people, giving them the tools, the autonomy, and the support they need to succeed. When a company fails to get the results they want, Instead of seeing the problem as an issue with the system, they wrongly focus on the individuals who are simply operating within the flawed system instead of focusing on fixing the system.
Without this mindset, a company will never be Lean no matter how many tools or techniques they try to implement as they violate the number 1 rule : Respect for People.
Thinking Lean = Cost Cutting
Let’s get lean , let’s go boss : cut expenses , eliminate employees ,and reduce the budget.
NO NO NO!
Lean is about maximizing value while minimizing waste.
The aim is to understand what the customer values most and eliminate waste in all its forms (time, effort, materials) that don’t contribute to that value.
Here cutting costs happens as a byproduct of optimizing processes to deliver more value, but it’s not the main goal.
But in the case of focusing on cutting costs (which is not lean ) , it might provide short-term financial benefits, but in the long term it can lead to diminishing quality, employee morale issues, or missed opportunities for true value creation.
A clear example of cutting costs that can affect value creation is companies that decide to reduce training budgets to save costs, thinking that it’s an unnecessary expense. As a result, the workers become less skilled in handling new technologies and industry trends , hence by the time they will be less efficient and have low morale.
No enough expertise onboard
Lastly , if you want to sail with a ship , you need to be a sailor or hire one , but if you decide to do it yourself , please don’t blame the ship.
Implementing lean principles without the right knowledge and experience is like trying to sail without a sailor . You might get somewhere, but it’s not going to be the right place.
Companies need experts who understand the system, who know how to implement it effectively, and who can guide teams in making sustainable improvements.
I remember my conversation with an owner of a large glass manufacturing company in Egypt , he was complaining that he provided training to his production team (who are newly introduced to lean) and he didn’t see any results.
While he was confused , I thought it was an expected result because they don’t have any guidance , they don’t know where to start , they might be stressed by the pressure of their management to see results, briefly they needed a captain to their ship!
After seeing these mistakes over and over again, I’ve learned that the key to unlocking the real value of lean is understanding it as a system, not a set of isolated tools. It’s a culture, built on respect for people and the belief that continuous improvement can lead to great results.
it’s not just about cutting costs—it’s about creating a better environment for your people, a better product for your customers, and a better business for everyone involved.