Gosh, this is a tough one. We’ve come so far with that word, and even for a relative Lean outsider like me, it’s hard to imaging getting along without it.
Yet, when we look at the meaning of the word to the vast majority of those who come in contact with Lean, it is the tool side that has prevailed. Does it make sense, then, to cede the term to the toolists and find a better way to describe the kind of enterprise change that we’re really looking for? I’m starting to wonder.