This paper has shown how lean psychology is based on a bi-directional, synergistic
relationship between how employees think and how they work that can be understood in
the context of terminology and theories described inThinking, Fast and Slow (TFAS) by
Kahneman (2011). Kahneman (2011) describes System 1 thinking as “fast thinking” that
often works well, but is prone to biases that can lead to serious errors in judgment.
System 2 thinking is “slow thinking” that can overcome possibly erroneous System 1
thinking via a more logical approach, but because it is more effortful, people have a
natural tendency to use it much less often, and unfortunately, it is often difficult to know
in the moment when to selectively engage it (Kahneman, 2011).
This paper contributes to the literature by building on the ideas of TFAS to develop
the concept of lean psychology to help place lean’s underlying mechanisms in a
practically oriented theoretical context. Lean psychology supports, enhances and takes
advantage of beneficial System 1 thinking and motivates and imposes appropriate
System 2 thinking. It creates an environment where the philosophies, principles and
practices synergistically reinforce each other and systematically help employees
improve the way that they think and act. By applying lean psychology holistically and
adaptively, organizations can go beyond superficially adopting a checklist of tools and
techniques to more fully take advantage of lean and improve their operations
performance.
It is common for theory building to begin with conceptual analysis such as ours.
Future research may want to use case studies or surveys to further explore and test the
relationships between thinking and practices in lean psychology that we proposed.
Additionally, even though methodical System 2 thinking is often beneficial, some “fast
moving” industries may need mechanisms to ensure that tactical and strategic
decision-making are not too slow. Future research may want to study how to achieve the
proper balance between the different types of thinking and appropriately execute them
in different environmental contexts. This paper has extensively cited TFAS because its
content is not only highly relevant, but extraordinarily credible, quotable and accessible
to a wide range of readers. It is a best-selling book by a Nobel-prize winning author to
distill acclaimed peer-reviewed research. Future research that expands on our first
exploratory efforts to understand lean psychology will likely want to make use of more
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of the original source material from the psychology literature. Similarly, research on
brain function, training and transformation (Johnson, 2012) might also be usefully
applied to understanding lean psychology