Exploring lean implementation through a transdisciplinary lens

Henrik Saabye and Daryl Powell

Chapter 8 in How to Organise Transdisciplinary Research for Transformative Action and Knowledge Co-Production, 2026, pp 110-127 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter highlights the duality of lean as both a transdisciplinary practice and a phenomenon that demands transdisciplinary research (TDR) to be properly understood. Lean implementation integrates diverse domains – engineering, management, psychology, and organisational learning – through four intertwined learning systems: Hoshin Kanri, Toyota product development system, Toyota production system, and total quality management. Studying and advancing such integration therefore requires research approaches that bridge theory and practice, notably action research (AR). Drawing on interventions at LEGO and VELUX, the chapter demonstrates how lean and TDR complement one another in fostering systemic learning, reflection, and sustainable transformation. It argues that lean, by nature, is a living research co-process, created between practitioners and researchers, where learning and improvement continuously evolve through collaborative inquiry.

Keywords: Lean; Action Research; Organisational Learning; Transdisciplinary Practice; Transdisciplinary Research; People Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035346547
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