This is lean : Resolving the efficiency paradox

In the books that have anything to do with digital transformation, some necessarily deal with "lean", the principle prefigured by Kiishiro Toyoda, the son of the founder of Toyota. The principle was revolutionary when it was formulated in the 40s and 50s: it was opposed to the idea that productivity gains came from economies of scale made possible by the massification of production and the use of sophisticated technologies. He preferred a "lean" system in which all functions that are not directly productive would be eliminated, including inventories, queues, unnecessary technologies, etc.

This little book explains very precisely what lean is: the importance of teamwork, communication, optimal use of resources and continuous improvement may be obvious managerial concepts, but if they are applied rigorously, they produce miracles.

And if "lean" was initially especially appreciated within Taylorist and hierarchical organizations insofar as it allowed for greater collaboration between professional strata and an increase in productivity without calling into question the very principle of hierarchy from work to capital, it is no less true that it has inspired very different models that are very much in vogue in the digital domain today. Holacracies", agile models, devops, platform companies... are often models that have been inspired by lean and this is what makes this book interesting.