Lean leadership: a matter of dualism

On the basis of previous literature, this study takes a snowball approach to identify people influential on the topics through their writings. The aim was to conceptualise leadership and management in regard to lean, thus increasing understanding of the roles of leadership and management in lean development. The findings showed that leadership and management are two different but complementary action systems, similar to the duality of Toyota's two foundational principles: respect for people and continuous improvement. Differentiating between leadership and management is important in order to meet organisational needs during a lean implementation; each has complementary functions. Practical implications include the need to further train managers in leadership and to work within organisational culture to influence on-the-job behaviour. This lack of leadership competence may be one reason companies tend to address lean as a toolbox rather than an enterprise-wide system that covers all its operations and entails cultural and behaviour standards.