Didier Rabino is a Lean Management and Continuous Improvement expert with over 30 years of practical experience and leadership. We discussed the history and core philosophy of Lean Management and what it means for small businesses—specifically, debunking the negative connotations of “lean” and explaining lean as a philosophy that can be applied in all aspects of life.

  1. Lean Management is rooted in the Toyota Production System (TPS), which began in the late 1800s by Sakichi Toyoda. The original motivation for TPS was to simplify work to alleviate the pain experienced by Toyoda's mother and sisters, who were using looms, not to increase production for profit.
  2. Lean management is a philosophy built on principles like:
    • Leading with humility.
    • Providing constancy of purpose and continuous improvement.
    • Respecting every individual and believing they have infinite potential.
    • Embracing scientific thinking and eliminating problems at the source.
  3. For small businesses, starting the continuous improvement cycle means:
    • Defining the target: “Where do you want to go? Where are you now? What is in your way?”
    • Paying deep attention to the process, observing details, and eliminating what is in the way.
    • Understanding the Voice of the Customer (external and internal) to ensure the organization is creating value and satisfying needs.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/didierrabino/
Website: https://leanmanagementsystems.net/