Kaizen Express (NL/EN)

You don’t understand Lean by reading about it. You understand it by doing it—and only then do you understand why it worked.

That conviction is the foundation of Kaizen Express, and it explains why this book looks fundamentally different from most other Lean titles.

John Shook puts it succinctly: it’s easier to adopt a new way of acting than to adopt a new way of thinking. Kaizen Express is built on precisely that logic.

What will you learn in Kaizen Express?

Kaizen Express describes the essential elements of the Toyota Production System in a logical, step-by-step sequence: concise, visual, and immediately applicable. The book was originally developed as training material for employees in Japanese factories worldwide, and that origin is still evident: virtually every page features illustrations that reinforce the key points, and the book includes a handy summary of TPS terms in Dutch and Japanese, plus a collection of standard forms for practical use.

What sets Kaizen Express apart from a standard reference book are the "Let's Talk" sections: passages that challenge you to think more deeply about the true goals behind the techniques, how they can be applied in your specific situation, and the logical next steps after mastering a particular concept. As a result, the book serves as both a starting point for beginners and a resource for experienced Lean practitioners to deepen their understanding.

The authors deliberately avoid describing it as "back to basics," but rather as " forward to fundamentals." Even those who think they know the fundamentals of Lean will discover that there is still much to learn and explore.

The book is bilingual (German and English) and suitable for use in international work environments.

Why should I read Kaizen Express?

Most Lean books are written to be read. Kaizen Express is written to be used. You don’t flip through it from cover to cover; you pick it up when you’re getting started on something, experiment, and then return to it to understand what you’ve learned.

That makes it a rare kind of Lean book: one that doesn’t just describe the learning organization, but embodies it. For beginners, it offers a solid and accessible introduction. For those with more experience, it holds up an honest mirror: are you really as far along as you think? And for teams, it provides a common language and framework for discussing their work.

Who is Kaizen Express intended for?

• Employees and team leaders who are new to Lean and are looking for a practical, visual starting point
• Experienced Lean practitioners who want to revisit and deepen their understanding of the fundamentals
• Teams working in international or German-speaking environments
• Trainers and coaches looking for concise and illustrative training materials for Lean training sessions

What do fellow writers think of this book?

"Kaizen Express delivers on its promise: it quickly gets to the heart of what Lean really is. Not as a theory, but as something you do—and only then do you understand it." — Jim Womack, founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute

"This book has proven its value in practice. It was developed to teach people on the shop floor how to work according to TPS principles, and that is exactly what it does." — Jeffrey K. Liker, author of The Toyota Way

Additional Information

About the authors

Toshiko Narusawa is a Japanese Lean expert with a background at Toyota and years of experience in transferring TPS knowledge to employees and managers in international manufacturing environments. She originally developed Kaizen Express as training material for Japanese factories worldwide. Her approach—visual, concise, and focused on learning by doing—reflects the way Toyota trains its own people.

John Shook was the first Western manager to work for Toyota in Japan, where he gained an inside-out understanding of the Toyota Production System. He co-authored Seeing Is Believing and later served as CEO of the Lean Enterprise Institute. His work consistently focuses on translating TPS principles into understandable and applicable insights for a Western audience. His belief that action precedes understanding is the central theme in Kaizen Express and in much of his other work.