You Can Be Lean and Creative!
May 8, 2026 – Norbert Majerus
Most people know of the Shingo Model as a framework for operational excellence. Few understand its ability to establish a culture of innovation excellence. Together, my colleague Brian Abraham and I brought this potential to light in an article that was recently published in the International Journal of Lean Six Sigma: “Innovation Excellence Benefits of the Shingo Model.” Here, a few concepts from our paper offer a sample of the model’s capabilities in relation to creativity.
When I started a Lean initiative at an innovative Fortune 100 company, my friend Sam claimed (and later recanted) that this initiative would kill innovation. Sam was (and is) a famous corporate innovator, and he was in good company with that thought. I personally am a very creative (right brained) engineer and earned 60 U.S. patents/trade secrets in the first 15 years of my career. I vividly recall the challenges I faced when I showed my inventions to leadership. I almost got fired by a SVP for a new product that I designed and validated—under the corporate radar, of course.
Fast forward to later in my career. I faced the exact same challenges as I tried to run experiments to create a system and culture of innovation excellence. The director responsible for innovative products refused to allow me to experiment with the design process, even though he wanted product innovation to flourish. I know many people struggle with the same problem in their pursuit of excellence. Like me, they—and their ideas—are constrained by legacy culture, inefficient processes, and a lack of clarity of purpose.
However, while change (i.e., a major Lean transformation) and innovation face similar challenges, the Shingo Model can help companies overcome them—and flourish.
Cultural Enablers
The Shingo Model promotes a culture that engages every employee in problem solving and process improvements. This foundation supports the development of agile and adaptive systems that respond quickly to customer demands and technological advancements. By adhering to the Shingo Guiding Principles in the Cultural Enablers dimension—Respect Every Individual and Lead with Humility—organizations can cultivate environments where innovation thrives, ultimately enhancing performance, competitive advantage, and long-term success.
When my leaders did not like the new ideas or changes I proposed, it was usually because they were paralyzed by fear—fear of failure, and fear for their personal career. After all, the risk of implementing new ideas is high, and the potential gain, especially for people on an accelerated career path, is small. Over the years, we have learned from Lean startups and agile thinking to experiment in a manner that greatly reduces this risk. In addition, based on the Shingo Model, a culture based on respect for all people and humble leadership creates the psychological safety for people to think differently and experiment. When I am confronted with an out-of-the-box idea, I ask the creator what is the worst that could happen with this new idea, and then I challenge that person to suggest a short, inexpensive experiment to prove that the risk can be mitigated.
Leaders cannot force out-of-the-box thinking, but they can encourage and facilitate it. About 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Google in Sunnyvale, CA. I was amazed by what I saw (and, of course, by the quality of the free food available). Walking through the Google offices, the scenery changed every 50 yards, and the walls were covered with inspiring decorations. Minimum viable prototypes were displayed for critique, and there was an eight-person conference bicycle for creative meetings. I am certain there was a very high tolerance for failed experiments.
A Lean culture based on the Shingo Model promotes the same kind of learning I saw in Sunnyvale. Industrial creativity can and must be taught along with innovation practices across all organizational levels. Humble leaders recognize that they alone cannot come up with all the good ideas needed for a successful change or an innovation culture. Leaders must be willing to learn, and they must embrace planting seeds, providing resources, and helping associates to think outside the box. Empowered associates need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and grasp the tools needed for creativity to thrive.
Continuous Improvement
In the Shingo Model, the Continuous Improvement dimension helps with the creation of a system for flawless execution.
A medical care provider in Ohio solved their problems with employee retention and engagement when the new president created what they called an “innovation initiative”—a well-organized system where nurses could point out problems that frustrated them and offer possible solutions. The person who made the suggestion was also empowered and coached to implement their idea.
A contract manufacturer took this concept a step further by creating a moonshine shop—a small, operator‑focused prototyping lab inspired by Toyota Production System practices that can “do anything” with erector set components. The company no longer needed a suggestion system; workers called the lab, and eventually the assembly lines and cells all looked like they were built by erector set components.
Enterprise Alignment
At the top of the Shingo Guiding Principles Pyramid is the Enterprise Alignment dimension, and it is here that the principle Create Value for the Customer resides. This is where innovation can have the biggest commercial impact. The need for change and creative thinking must be spelled out in the organization’s strategy, and alignment must follow accordingly.
Random creativity creates waste, just as random kaizen does. One of the Shingo Guiding Principles is Constancy of Purpose—setting clear strategies and creating alignment across the organization. Creativity and innovation can be focused accordingly, and there can be a process for creativity and innovation. Systems thinking does not need to stifle creativity.
A method I like to use in brainstorming and suggestion systems is to start broad, without limits, and then converge to bring concepts into harmony with the system. My aforementioned friend Sam remarked that our system and standards eventually helped him focus on the winning areas and eliminate a lot of waste and the need for re-invention. Integrating creativity with strategic and systems thinking also helps set the best goals and reward systems.
Call to Action
In this newsletter, I touch on just a couple of aspects of industrial creativity and innovation. However, all of the Shingo Guiding Principles apply to innovation, just as they apply to other processes. After all, principles are universal—they apply to every process and every business, everywhere in the world.
Over the decades, the Shingo Model’s evolution—a shift from a strict focus on process improvement and technical tools to a broader emphasis on culture, leadership, and holistic operational excellence—has enabled the model to remain highly relevant and effective across various organizational contexts and industries.
Regardless of where you are on your journey to excellence, you probably have some of the Shingo Model components in place that can help foster industrial creativity. Just be sure to include out-of-the-box thinking, structured problem solving, a means to elicit suggestions, and change management into your design.
You and your ideas will encounter obstacles—organizational, technical, and human—even when leveraging the Shingo Model. Think about the worst thing that could happen to your idea and find creative solutions for that. When you encounter an obstacle, focus your energy and creativity on overcoming that obstacle, and if you cannot overcome the obstacle, think about a way to pivot and change direction to get around the obstacle. Good ideas tend to morph many times before they find the right fit.