I’m going to share a secret with you. Growing up, I always dreamed of owning a bookstore. Actually, I still do. Not one of the big-chain behemoths located in a busy shopping mall smack dab in the middle of suburbia. No way! I wanted a small, cozy shop somewhere off the beaten path, where customers could curl up with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. A place that people would go to learn something that inspired them, to have a good conversation with a complete stranger, or just to escape the stress of daily life . . . even if only for a little while. That’s my True North.
Today, I’ve taken the first step in that direction by creating The Lean Book Shop @ TheKaiZone. Although there’s no caffeine and the ambiance leaves much to be desired, I can promise you that the selection cannot be beat!
There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of books out there related to the topics of Lean and continuous improvement. I know because I’ve spent a good majority of my adult life reading most of them. Unfortunately, the vast majority are frankly not very good. There are many self-proclaimed “senseis” out there claiming to have unlocked the secrets to Lean success . In reality, these so-called “experts” are nothing more than Lean consultants with very little proven, real-world success re-packaging outdated and ineffective approaches as the next best thing. As Mark Graban says, that”s L.A.M.E. not Lean.
Good Lean advice can be hard to find. It’s especially daunting for those just starting off on their Lean journey. I’ve seen it many times. One bad source and the path starts off completely in the wrong direction. Instead of pursuing True North, you may find yourself here.
This is where The Lean Book Shop can help. I’ve personally hand-selected what I consider to be the absolute best texts ever written on the subjects of Lean and Continuous Improvement. I’ve personally read every book in the shop and I stand behind each one. You won’t find every Lean and continuous improvement book – for example: this, this or this – just those that I know you can trust to help you on your learning journey.
Speaking of trust, I want to fully disclose that I have partnered with Amazon.com* as part of their affiliate advertising program to bring you The Lean Book Shop. Any link to books referenced on this page, or other pages on TheKaiZone.com, will refer you to Amazon.com, where you get the exact same purchase price as all other amazon.com users do. Please refer to the About Me page for further details.
To celebrate the grand opening of The Lean Book Shop @ TheKaiZone, I’ve put together a top 10 list of the best books ever written on the topics of Lean and continuous improvement. I define “best” in terms of the book’s contribution (the degree to which I feel the book has contributed to current thinking within the Lean world) and relevance (the degree to which I find myself referring back to the text on my own Lean journey).
Note that the list simply represents my own personal opinions and preferences. Your list will likely be different and I encourage you to share it with The KaiZone Community in the comments section below!
Drum roll, please! Without further ado, I present to you the top 10 Lean books of all time:
10. Creating a Kaizen Culture (2013) by Jon Miller, Mike Wroblewski and Jaime Villafuerte
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Kaizen. Culture. Adaptiveness. Words that are not easy to define in tangible terms, and even more difficult to achieve or impact in the real-world. However, Creating a Kaizen Culture takes these concepts out of the nebulous world and provides practical, tangible guidance for changing the most important pieces of the Lean organization . . . the people.
9. Gemba Kaizen (1997) by Masaaki Imai
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With the publication of his book Kaizen in 1986, Masaaki Imai brought the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement to light. In the sequel, Gemba Kaizen, Mr. Imai enlightens the world to another core Lean concept: the gemba. By combining a focus on incremental, small improvements with a thorough understanding of “the real place”, the book has contributed significantly to the mindset of the present-day Lean thinker. As a bonus, the text includes several case studies from real-world application of the gemba kaizen approach.
8. The Lean Turnaround (2012) by Art Byrne
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Very few people on the planet can claim the level of real-world Lean success that Art Byrne can. Perhaps, no other book provides such a deep dive into the strategic nature of Lean or the role of senior leaders in driving change. Certainly, none that can back up the theory and discussion with such dramatic and concrete results as Mr. Byrne and his time spent as CEO of Wiremold. This book is a must-read for any executive looking to create and sustain a successful Lean organization.
7. The High-Velocity Edge (formerly Chasing the Rabbit, 2008) by Steven Spear
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What sets dynamic organizations apart from their competition? From the same author that wrote the seminal article Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System, Steven Spear goes beyond the tangible and the technical to uncover the underlying capabilities of high-velocity organizations. Through direct observation of successful organizations such as Toyota, Alcoa and the United States Nuclear Navy, Spear identifies the four critical factors that fuel the continuous improvement of today’s complex systems: system design, problem solving, knowledge sharing and people development.
6. The Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production (1988) by Taiichi Ohno
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An view of the historical rise of Toyota manufacturing through the eyes of its primary contributor: Mr. Taiichi Ohno. Outlining the important social and economic forces that drove the creation of what we now dub the Toyota Production System, the book focuses primarily on the history and the thinking from which the system evolved. That the book does not provide a deep dive in to the technical aspects of the system is irrelevant, as it subtly teaches a much greater lesson to present day Lean thinkers: Lean organizations can learn – and profit – much more from Toyota by focusing on the thinking that created the system than they can by copying the system itself.
5. The Machine that Changed the World (1990) by James Womack, Daniel Jones and Daniel Roos
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The book that coined the term “Lean” based on the outcomes of more than 5 years of study of the Japanese automobile industry by MIT. Womack, Jones and Roos thoroughly document the whole of the Toyota Production System, pinpoint the advantages of Lean manufacturing over the prevailing mass-production system used in the western world at the time, and correctly predicted the rise of Lean manufacturing principles, not just in automobile manufacturing, but in any value-creating endeavor.
4. Out of the Crisis (1986) by W. Edwards Deming
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3. The Toyota Way (2003) by Jeffrey Liker
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Prior to the publication of the Toyota Way, the vast majority of the Lean literature focused on describing the tangible, technical aspects of the Toyota Production System. Without understanding the accompanying business philosophies and management principles, most organizations that attempted to mimic Toyota failed to generate the same – if any – level of results. In The Toyota Way, Dr. Liker shifted the focus away from superficial tools and techniques of the production system and onto the 14 key principles that define the Toyota 
2. A Study of the Toyota Production System: From an Industrial Engineering Viewpoint (1st english translation 1980, re-translated 1989) by Shigeo Shingo**
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1. Toyota Kata (2009) by Mike Rother
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This may not be the best book with which to start your Lean journey, but it is certainly the direction you should head in which to finish. Only those who have struggled to find Lean success will fully appreciate the power of the kata methodology. Of all the texts on Lean and continuous improvement, Toyota Kata achieves what no other book before it has fully accomplished: translating Lean into a set of simple, practical routines, organized around improvement and coaching, that can be readily and effectively practiced at all levels of an organization. Rother cuts down many long-standing fallacies about the practice of Lean, such as the misunderstanding of common Lean “tools” and the misconception of waste elimination. In doing so, Mr. Rother places the focus right where it should be: on the development every person in the organization through a habit of problem solving and the achievement of continuous improvement.
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There you have it! The Top 10 Lean books of all time, as determined by The KaiZone. Disagree? Then let us know! Please use the comments section below to share your own personal top 10!
And don’t forget to check out The Lean Book Shop @ TheKaiZone for all of your Lean, continuous improvement and self improvement needs!
* Disclosure: TheKaiZone.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Great selection in The Lean Book Shop but no top ten should be without one of Ford’s books since that’s where it all started – “My life and Work” is my top pick
I can’t disagree with you. I really struggled leaving Ford off of the list, given his impact on Mr. Ohno. He gets honorable mention for sure. Although, I do prefer Ford’s “Today and Tomorrow”, which is where Mr. Ohno drew inspiration for the title of probably his least known book, “Just in Time for Today and Tomorrow”
“My Life and Work” is an interesting historical read, even 100 years later. Lots of Lean principles in that book and it helps you understand how Toyota learned from Henry Ford… but I wouldn’t include it in my own “top 10” list.
Why are you interested in the original Shingo translation? I’ve heard it was badly translated and was very hard to read.
Small typo in that part of the post: “1st english traslation”
I have read that edition of the book before, and you’re right the translation is very hard to follow. I’m not even sure it is wholly english. As far as my interest . . . for one, there are a few passages on the very early development of TPS that were left out of the modern translation. But primarily, it’s just one book that I do not have in my personal collection. It’s a piece of the history that I am missing. Call it nostalgia, call it being a nerd, but ever since I read Mr. Bodek’s story, it’s become a bit of a white whale for me.
Of course, everyone has their favourites but I can’t believe you missed out ‘The Goal’. That one really changed my thinking and my approach.
I’ve been waiting for someone to call me out on leaving the Goal off of the list! I know to many I’m going to be committing some act of blasphemy by saying this, but I purposefully left the book out of the top 10. I respect the work very much, I enjoy its style, and I understand that it’s been very impactful to countless people (which is a great thing!). However, the TOC concepts fall short (or in some cases, runs counter to my personal beliefs on organizational change) in a number of areas, which have been validated by my real world experience trying to apply the thinking, and so it’s not one of the first books that I personally recommend.
Thanks for the comment!
First, thanks Joel for your lean book shop. I just ordered a couple I’ve been needing to get.
Can you elaborate on your thoughts about TOC?
My personal favorite lean book is ‘Lean Transformation: How to change your business into a lean enterprise,’ by Bruce Henderson and Jorge Larco. Although I am inexperienced in lean technique and change it seems to me that this book lays the foundation for any aspiring change agent to learn from and implement into their own organization. Any reason for it being left off the list?
Joel recently posted…The KaiZone Friday Favorites for January 23rd, 2015
Joel – Thanks for the question! You’ll have to forgive me, as it’s been a few years since I read the book. And please don’t take any offense to what I am about to say . . . I greatly respect the work that authors pour into these books and what people find useful and inspirig. That being said, if my memory serves me correctly, I thought the book was good, but not exceptional. I thought it spent a great deal of page space trying to “sell” or “market” lean to the reader, at the expense of depth into most of the topics. Second, the book collated a lot of information in one place, but I don’t think it added anything new to the study. Most of the books on my list were the either the first (or the best) at documenting very important components of Lean Thinking / The Toyota Production System. “Lean Transformation” is a good book for the novice looking to start their journey (although, I believe Pascal Dennis’book “Lean Production Simplified” is a better resource for the beginner), but doesn’t crack my personal top 10. Thanks again!
I was looking for a lean library, and your shop seems to be the ideal thing I was searching. The Machine that Changed the World (1990) is one of my favorites. It such an articulate write up, which still feels so relevant in the 21st century. Of course, things have changed in the industries, but the idea of getting more from less, portrayed so well here in the book still reigns supreme.
Jim Beswick recently posted…Training – The First Step to Change Challenging Preconceptions
Jim – thanks for the comment! I’m glad you like the Lean Book Shop. The only thing I’ll add, however, is that it was never meant to be an all-inclusive library; there are literally thousands of books out there on lean thinking . . . and it pains me to say that many (if not most) are downright misleading. What I tried to create was a place for students of lean thinking / the Toyota Production System to find resources they can trust. Of course, no list of books on the topic would be complete without The Machine that Changed the World. I often reread the book and find myself picking out new insights each time. A classic!
Joel A. Gross recently posted…The KaiZone Friday Favorites for January 23rd, 2015
Hello all!
I dont want to bother you with such a silly question but I am stuck on the way to learn how LEAN is really working. I bought some books, I had a few trainings but to tell you the truth these does not convinced me about how it should work.
Could you please offer me books that gives good examples and make me understand the real LEAN thinkging?
I would really appreciate it!
Thank you in advance!
Ash,
Apologies for the slow response, but my wife and I recently welcomed our 4th child to the world, and I’ve been taking some time away from the site for family.
As for your question…in no way is it silly! In reality, it is the question that we should all be asking. As for book recommendations, without understanding your specific situation (experience level, role, apicatuon, etc…), I can only provide a general answer. There are three books that I recommend to all of my students, but since you have already been “trained” and have purchased a few books, I’ll assume that you have at least a familiarity to the components of a Lean system (a.k.a. Lean “tools”) and that we can skip the first book. The next book I would recommend would be The Toyota Way by Dr. Liker, as it will help you to see the bigger picture when it comes to lean organizations: Lean is not something you just do…it’s something that organizations work to become, and it takes everyone from top to bottom to make strides in that direction. The Toyota Way is the best book that I’ve read that goes deeper than just “tools” or the technical aspects of the system to outline what is needed to become lean. Lastly, the deeper thinking is understood, organizations have still struggled putting the principles into practice and getting “good” at them. Toyota Kata is the best method I’ve read (and had the great fortune of experiencing firsthand) to sling the organization around the practice of improving on the path to lean.
That being said…nothing that you will read in a book is substitute for firsthand experience. Surely, read the books to point you in the right direction, but focus on putting your learning to the test through practice. Develop your own model for how lean should work in your situation, work on engaging the others in your organization, and be a mentor to others. Do those 3 things well enough, and you’ll do something great.
Hope that helps! If you have any more questions, I’ll be glad to help. Feel free to post here, or email me anytime (joel@thekaizone.com)! Best of luck!
Hello,
I am extremely new to Lean thinking/business, and was introduced to it by way of a new book called The Lean Farm. This book, as the title suggests, is focused on farms and agricultural operations. I am fascinated, and am learning so much! We do have a farm that we are moving toward commercializing, and am excited to incorporate lean techniques there.
However, what I do now is run a small food manufacturing business. Because we work with seasonal ingredients and our products are perishable, there are many aspects of The Lean Farm that I can modify to work with my business, but I also think that another guide or two geared more toward actual manufacturing might be helpful. Do you have any books that you would specifically recommend to a total beginner with a small business in food manufacturing?
Thank you for any guidance you can give.
Rachel – Thanks for reaching out. I just checked out your website . . . Coming from a PA Dutch family, I now have a new source of saurkraut to try! But, I digress . . .
As for your question, I have a section on my website titled, “The Lean Book Shop”. On that page, there is a section of books specifically for people who are just starting their Lean journeys: Books for Beginners. For someone just starting, I really like “Lean Production Simplified” by Pascal Denis. Also, I would recommend reading Toyota Kata once you’ve got a bit of experience under your belt, as it provides the best practical framework that I’ve read for taking the technical details of the Lean production system and putting them into practice.
Also, I am fascinated in thinking through the challenges and nuances – as you note above – that your specific organization must face. If you ever have a wish to discuss it further or have any other questions that I can help to answer, please do continue to reach out. Best of luck!
Hi Sir will it be good if I start with The Toyota way and ends with Toyota kata
And also Dr Jeffrey liker has wrote many books on lean management after Toyota way so why you have not included them in the list.
The Toyota Way is a terrific book to start your Lean journey; however, if you are truly new to the topic of Lean thinking, it may be best to consider starting with a book that outlines more of the basics of Lean systems. You can find a few examples in the “Books for Beginners” section of the Lean Book Shop. I usually recommend “Lean Production Simplified” by Pascal Denis as a great resource for beginners.
As for Dr. Liker’s other books, I really do believe that each is outstanding amidst the masses of Lean literature. Surely, if you read nothing but Dr. Liker’s books, you would have a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build upon. However, I did not include any of the others on the list for the simple reason that the topics of his other books are more narrow in focus than “The Toyota Way”. The texts on the Top 10 Lean Books of All Time were selected in part because they address Lean as a system and cover the topic holistically, which I believe is very important to those who wish to learn what Lean is all about.
I hope that helps. Please feel free to reach out should you have any more questions. Thanks again!
Would you consider createing a lean library for audiobooks?