Two lean experts discuss their Shingo Prize-winning book and mission to spread a culture of continuous improvement
A Jeffrey K. Liker James K. Franz Co-Authors
The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement
s we have struggled over the years to make sense of what we learned from Toyota, and to teach it to others in many business sectors, we have developed a broader and deeper view of this thing called “lean.”
Jeff comes at the issue from a practical academic perspective drawing on 30 years of studying Toyota, and advising hundreds of companies. Jim comes at it from a more applied perspective, beginning with his work in production engineering at Toyota, then at Ford, where he applied what he learned at Toyota, and ultimately as a private consultant. We both have a per- sonal mission to positively change organizations so they have a sustainable culture of continuous improvement. Today, the word “lean” has become ingrained in organizational cultures all over the world and there is