Reframing the 'Has Lean Failed?' Question

Has lean really failed?

That question sparked one of the most listened-to conversations in the history of this podcast — my two-part series with Jim Womack in episodes 37 and 38.

When I sat down with John Shook — one of the most influential thought leaders and practitioners in the global lean and continuous improvement community — we explored a different angle.

John's perspective isn't a rebuttal. It's a reframe. A counterpoint to the question itself.

John asks: what problem are we really trying to solve?

His answer unfolds across three episodes — the first ever three-part series on Chain of Learning. And I think it will change how you think about your own impact as a change leader.

You’ll Learn:

• Why the question "how many lean enterprises have we created?" may be leading us in the wrong direction — and what we should ask instead
• The difference between "command and control" and what John calls "command and abandon" — and which one you're more likely doing
• Why the key question in problem-solving is not "is this accurate?" but "is this useful?"
• How to recognize your span of influence and build systems at the right level that help people think, learn, and take ownership
• Why purpose → work → capability is the right sequence — and why most leaders start in the wrong place

ABOUT MY GUEST:
John Shook spent eleven years with Toyota in Japan and the U.S., where he helped transfer the Toyota Production System globally. He later served as President of the Lean Enterprise Institute and Chairman of the Lean Global Network.

John is the co-author of the award-winning books Learning to See and Managing to Learn, and wrote the foreword to my book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. As an industrial anthropologist, he brings a perspective that connects culture, systems, and practice to bridge deep thinking with real-world application.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

• Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/74
• Connect with John Shook: lean.org/about-lei/senior-advisors-staff/john-shook/ 
• Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson 
• Subscribe to my newsletter: kbjanderson.com/newsletter
• Check out my website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.com
• Join us on the Japan Leadership Experience: KBJAnderson.com/japantrip 
• Grab a copy of, “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn,”: kbjanderson.com/learning-to-lead 

TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
03:00 Why John Shook believes we may be asking the wrong question about lean

05:25 Why change leadership always starts with changing yourself

06:40 The tension between influencing others and trying to control them

08:15 What a people-centered learning culture actually looks like in practice

09:05 Why John avoids lean jargon and starts with the problem instead

10:00 The Toyota question that shaped John’s thinking: “What problem are you trying to solve?”

11:15 Why learning only matters when it’s grounded in the work

12:30 Toyota’s “attitude toward learning” and why it changes everything

15:05 Why leaders must create the environment for learning and problem-solving

16:00 How organizations drift into “big company disease”

17:05 Why purpose → work → capability is the sequence most leaders miss

18:15 The risk of starting culture change with leadership behaviors alone

19:20 Why focusing on the work reveals what’s really blocking change

21:00 Why John sees more “command and abandon” than command and control

23:20 Focusing on your span of influence instead of waiting for senior leaders

27:15 How every person at work already has “problem consciousness”

29:00 The surprising truth about who is most frustrated in organizations

32:15 Building systems at your level that create ownership and capability

33:20 Why modeling the behavior matters more than pushing harder

36:15 Why sustainable change starts with how you show up each day